314 THE SNAKES OF SOUTH AFRICA. 
In many cases when the snake was allowed simply to puncture 
the flesh for an instant, the animal recovered. Often the 
symptoms of poisoning were only comparatively slight. In all 
cases when a Cobra, Puff Adder, or Boomslang was allowed to 
inflict a full bite, death followed. The fangs of the Cobra family 
of snakes are short and the channel down which the venom 
flows is very small. I have carefully tested and found that the 
Cobra, Ringhals, and Mamba, expel their venom at the rate of 
about a drop from each fang in one second. With the available 
constricting power exerted on the poison glands, the venom is 
pressed out with great power, but the channels down which 
the venom is forced are so small that it issues in a very fine 
stream. The Puff Adder and others of the adder family have 
larger fangs, and their venom, moreover, being thinner than 
that of the Cobras, they are, in consequence, able to inject it 
at a more rapid rate. The reason Nature has not evolved larger 
grooves through which to drive a bigger dose of venom into the 
victim in the case of the Cobras and Mambas is that it is not at 
all necessary, for weight for weight, Cobra and Mamba venom 
exceed Puff Adder and other adder venom in its death-dealing 
properties. One drop of Cobra venom will kill a large dog in 
half an hour, sometimes less. The same quantity of Puff Adder 
venom causes constitutional disturbances which are usually re- 
covered from. 
ALLEGED CURES. 
Every native “cure’”’ submitted to me so far has proved, 
upon experimentation, to be absolutely worthless. I have also 
tested some alleged South African cures, which are proprietary, 
with equally disappointing results. An owner of a certain pro- 
prietary “cure’’ was very anxious that I should experiment 
with it. He evidently had a good deal of faith in it himself. I 
intimated that such experiments cost money. I was quite 
willing to bear such cost in the interests of science, but I pre- 
sumed he would have no objection to allowing me to publish 
the results. No, he could not permit such a thing until he first 
learned the result. Then he would decide. I asked him in the 
event of failure would he be prepared to withdraw his “ cure ” 
