118 VENOMOUS SNAKES AND THE PHENOMENA OF THEIR VENOMS 
ECHIS. 
As with other genera of Viperine, the poison of Echis much resembles 
that of Vipera. The venom of Echis carinata acts very much like that of 
Daboia russellii and produces a prompt death in dogs, fowls, pigeons, and 
other smaller laboratory animals. Local symptoms consist of swelling and 
discoloration of the bitten part. Faintness, staggering, paresis of the limbs, 
and ante-mortem convulsions are the usual symptoms following the bite of 
this snake or injection of its venom. ‘The coagulability of the blood taken 
from the bitten animal after its death from toxication is reported by Fayrer 
as lost. But this observation need not be regarded as evidence against the 
presence of extensive thromboses in some veins, because, as was pointed out 
by Lamb, the fluid blood can be collected from such cases. 
THE COLUBRID. 
The venoms of the snakes belonging to the subfamily Elapine are remark- 
able for their powerful neurotoxic and hemotoxic effects with only slight 
local reactions. Especially is this true with the reptiles inhabiting the Asiatic 
and African continents. ‘The venoms of certain genera of Elapinz found in 
Australia also contain considerable of the locally destructive constituents. 
The symptoms produced by experimental toxications of animals, either 
through the bite or through injection of the venoms, are described below. 
NAJA. 
The effects produced by the venoms of various species of Naja are essen- 
tially the same and can be stated in the following sentences. The general 
symptoms of poisoning by cobra venom are depression, faintness, accelerated 
respiration and exhaustion, lethargy, unconsciousness, nausea, and vomiting. 
In dogs, guinea-pigs, and rabbits peculiar twitching movements occur, which 
seem to represent vomiting in them, and occasionally dogs and guinea-pigs 
actually vomit. Profuse salivation is seen in dogs. As the toxication pro- 
ceeds, paralysis appears, sometimes affecting the hind legs first and seeming 
to creep up the body, and sometimes affecting the whole animal at once. 
There is a loss of coordinating power of the muscles of locomotion. Mild 
hemorrhage, a relaxation of the sphincters, and involuntary evacuations, 
often of a sanguineous or muco-sanguineous character, may precede death, 
and are generally accompanied by convulsions. In fowls the appearance is 
one of extreme drowsiness; the head falls forward, rests on the beak, and 
gradually the bird, no longer able to support itself, crouches, then rolls over 
on its side. There are frequent startings, as if of sudden awakening from 
the lethargic state. 
BUNGARUS. 
The symptoms of toxication by the venom of krait, Bungarus fasciatus, 
were first accurately observed by Wall, and later confirmed and extended 
by Lamb. 
