216 BRITISH SERPENTS. 



noticed it was slightly affected with canker. It got 

 rapidly worse, and died two or three weeks afterwards. 

 I then cleaned out the vivarium with soap-and-water, 

 and the next specimen I placed therein was a small 

 specimen of the viperine snake ( Trojndunotus tigminus). 

 This snake was also quite healthy. . About five weeks 

 subsequently this snake became affected with the dis- 

 ease, and after lingering for eight or nine weeks, died. 

 This time I scrubbed out the vivarium with hot soda- 

 and- water, and put in the vivarium a specimen of 

 the English ring snake (Tropidonotus natrix), which 

 showed sign of canker a week afterwards. In this case 

 the symptoms were very severe, the eyes becoming 

 quite white and opaque, and the head very much en- 

 larged in size. Death took place in a few days. I 

 did not use that vivarium again for about six months, 

 and then I enamelled it inside and out, and have not 

 had the misfortune to lose any specimens since." 



From this most interesting series of cases of canker 

 it seems very evident that a serpent once infected 

 with the disease may leave the germs in the cage or 

 vivarium it has been inhabiting, and I should strongly 

 advise any one who loses a snake from canker to have 

 the cage thoroughly disinfected with a strong solution 

 of carbolic acid, repeating the washing at intervals of 

 three days until it has been done three or four times.^ 



^ Mr Horton has sent me a leopard snake which was supposed to 

 have died of canker. After careful examination, no sign of tuber- 

 culosis could be found, only inflammatory changes being present. 



