510 THE SNAKES OF SOUTH AFRICA. 
comparatively mild in its poisonous effects. Fowls are highly 
susceptible to snake venom, and succumb easily. It will be seen 
that several fowls actually recovered in a week’s time after four 
drops of pure fresh venom had been injected into them. The 
poisonous action appeared to be comparatively shght, for the 
only hemorrhage was that which occurred in the injected thigh, 
and this was by no means extensive, and moreover, it was all 
under the skin, and not in the muscles. Lymph was the principal 
fluid which accumulated. If those fowls had been larger creatures 
capable of being properly treated by draining off this lymph and 
blood, and if antiseptics, fomentations, and other restoratives 
had been applied, I am assured that many of those which died 
would have recovered. Nothing at all was done for them. They 
were simply left in their cages and fed and watered. 
Why the venom should behave so very differently when 
injected under the skin, and when injected deep down into the 
muscular tissue, I know not. It is probable that this viperine 
venom when introduced under the skin, is not absorbed so rapidly 
as when injected into the muscles, and that the vital forces of 
the body have time to generate anti-toxic substances to cope 
with it as it enters the general circulation, or that the excretory 
organs have more time to eliminate it. : 
In the above-mentioned experiments, the venom was collected 
from Puff Adders recently captured. The venom was, in every 
case, used within an hour after being shed by the snake. The 
manner of collecting the venom was as seen in several illustrations 
elsewhere. 
The subject is an interesting one for scientific men to pursue. 
I think I have solved the problem which puzzled me, viz. 
why a Puff Adder should have such long fangs? It is because 
the nature of its venom is such that, to have its full poisonous 
effect, it must be injected deep into the muscular tissues. 
Le 
ITEMS OF SNAKE KNOWLEDGE. 
A Ringhals examined on October 16, 1911, which is the spring 
time in South Africa, had two rows of eggs, thirty in number, the 
size of peas, lying along each side of its backbone. These would 
