CAPE COBRAS AND RINGHALS. 379 
themselves also died, but with adult specimens death did not 
take place for a week, or even two or three months. 
For some considerable time we have kept a large collection of 
live snakes at the Port Elizabeth Museum. In one cage we had 
seven Cape Cobras of the yellow and brown varieties. These 
snakes ranged from four feet to six feet five inches in length. 
One day they were stirred up by the introduction of a fresh 
specimen and began to fight fiercely with each other. They 
were all bitten, some several times. The bites were mostly 
about the head and neck. 
Three lingered for a week and died. One lived a month. 
The other three survived for nearly four months. During the 
whole time their heads were swollen and inflamed, particularly 
in the region of the venom glands. After four weeks the scales 
were shed from the head and the inflammation increased. The 
eye scales grew opaque and the reptiles became blind. They 
remained in this condition till death took place—no new scales 
forming. 
Subsequent experiments conclusively proved that the venom 
of the Cape Cobra was invariably fatal to those of the same 
species, causing necrosis and death. Young specimens died 
within a few hours to a day or two of being bitten or injected. 
The adults survived for one week to three or even four months. 
The heads in all cases swelled, the shields were shed and the 
mouth became inflamed. Usually from two weeks to a month 
after being bitten or injected, the eye scales became opaque. 
I conducted several experiments with the Ringhals Cobra. 
On four occasions I allowed an adult Ringhals to bite the tail end 
of another of the same species, after scraping away the scales 
from the part. I also made two bite themselves and injected 
one withits own-venom. In none of these cases did any poisonous 
symptoms follow. I also allowed Puff Adders, Boomslangs, and 
Night Adders to bite Ringhals snakes in the tail region, but in 
no case did any of them seem the worse. 
Being desirous of knowing if the venom of the Ringhals 
would have any poisonous effect upon non-venomous snakes I 
made one bite a Mole snake several times, drawing blood. The 
Ringhals was a large specimen of the black variety. No bad 
effects followed, although I kept the Mole snake for several 
months afterwards. 
