316 THE SNAKES OF SOUTH AFRICA. 
an antidote ; therefore, in consequence, the same belief is held 
by the native population. Large numbers of colonists also have 
unquestioning faith in its efficacy. 
A certain well-known South African journal, in a leading 
article on “‘ Zibiba,” voices the public belief in this substance 
as follows :—‘‘ We have been assured by Native Commissioners 
and other men of position in the Transvaal that they have per- 
sonally witnessed marvellous cures worked by this substance. 
A very small quantity—as much as will cover the point of an 
ordinary penknife—taken internally, and a little of it rubbed 
into the wound and into small incisions on the wounded limb 
above the wound, has been known to restore the bitten man to 
complete convalescence within twenty-four hours after his con- 
dition had been so precarious that he had already become un- 
conscious, and also blind from the consequences of a Puff Adder’s 
bite. 
“Other unquestionable evidence could, if necessary, be adduced 
to bear out the assertion that ‘ Zibiba’ is not a mere palliative, 
but a sure and indubitable cure for snake bites. From what 
plant or substance ‘ Zibiba’ is prepared by the native doctors 
is as yet a secret which they have managed strictly to 
preserve.” 
EXPERIMENTS WITH ZIBIBA. 
The Hon. F. W. Reitz, Ex-President of the Orange Free 
State, and a former State Secretary of the Transvaal, and Presi- 
dent of the Senate of the Union of South Africa, who takes a 
keen interest in the quest for a reliable snake-bite antidote other 
than serum, sent me a phial of genuine fresh “ Zibiba,”’ to 
enable me to carry out a series of experiments. This “ Zibiba,” 
on examination through a microscope, appears to be the root 
of a plant. The root is finely pulverized, and is of a reddish- 
sandy shade in colour. Realizing the unsatisfactory nature of 
experiments of this kind on small creatures, such as rats, guinea- 
pigs, rabbits, etc., I procured a large male Vervet Monkey (Cer- 
copithecus pygerythrus) in the fullest vigour and health. Mixing 
a heaping egg-spoonful of “ Zibiba’’ with a piece of banana, I 
gave it to the monkey. After an interval of fifteen minutes, a 
four-foot Brown Cape Cobra, or Bruin Kapell (Nata flava), which 
