SURPRISING RESULTS OF EXPERIMENTS. 507 
SURPRISING RESULTS OF EXPERIMENTS. 
Collecting a quantity of venom from some Cape Cobras and 
Ringhals, I carefully measured out doses averaging from half a 
drop to two drops. A dose 
was injected deep into the 
muscular tissue of the thigh 
of a fowl. A similar dose 
was injected just under the 
skin on top of the muscular 
tissue. This experiment was 
repeated several times. The 
poisonous effects were the 
same in allcases. Death oc- 
curred just as rapidly when 
the venom was injected into 
the muscles as when it was 
placed just under the skin. 
I carried out a series of 
similar experiments with the 
venom of the Puff Adder 
with surprising results. 
Several fowls were injected 
with half a drop of the 
venom, mixed with a little 
water. This was inserted 
under the skin of the thigh 
with a hypodermic syringe. 
The solution spread out over 
the muscular tissue, and was 
still further diffused by 
manipulations with the 
finger. The fowls in all cases 
recovered. When one drop 
of venom was __ injected, 
the fowls, with the exception 
of two small weaklings, fully 
recovered. 
Two drops were then injected into each fowl. All the larger 
and more vigorous of the fowls recovered. Those which died 
alk i 
A 
ve 
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December, Ig1t. 
Fic. K.—A Brown Boomslang and her batch of eggs laid in one of the snake cages at the Port Elizabeth Museum, 
