﻿SNAKES IN RELATION TO MAN 135 



In Brazil, where the number of accidents is esti- 

 mated at ig,20o per annum, and that of fatal cases 

 at 4,800, over 2,000 snakes {Lachesis and Crotalus) are 

 brought annually to the Serotherapic Institute of 

 Batantan, in the province of S. Paolo, for the prep- 

 aration of the antitoxic serum, which is given in 

 exchange for the snakes. According to the latest 

 report of the Institute (igii), two serums are dis- 

 tributed : the anti-crotaline (for Rattlesnake bite) 

 and the anti-bothropine (for Lachesis bite) ; the 

 third, the anti-elapine (for Coral-snake bite), is in 

 course of preparation. 



In many countries a premium has for years been 

 paid for the heads of poisonous snakes, and has led 

 to the destruction of enormous numbers of them, 

 without, however, resulting in a very appreciable 

 diminution of the dangerous reptiles. More than 

 ;f 12,000 has been spent for this purpose in India alone ; 

 the numbers destroyed in 1885 and 1886 throughout 

 British India amount to 420,044 and 417,596 respec- 

 tively. About forty years ago the Governor of St. 

 Lucia offered a reward of 4d. for every Fer-de-Lance's 

 head. But the negroes caught them alive and bred 

 families of snakes for the sake of the reward, and 

 thereby made what was for them a little fortune, these 

 snakes bringing forth up to sixty young at a birth. 

 The reward had to be abolished very soon. 



Now about the Vipers of Europe, the only really 

 dangerous snakes of this part of the world. 



