EXPERIMENTAL VENOM POISONING IN ANIMALS 121 
toms in dog are mentioned by Fayrer and are well represented in the follow- 
ing example: Distira cyanocincta, 4 feet long, bit a pariah dog twice on the 
thigh; 4o minutes later the dog was restive, salivated, burrowing its muzzle 
in the sand. At 45 minutes it was seated, body thrown forward, head down, 
partially convulsed, salivation increasing; at 50 minutes spasms appeared, 
with defecation; 55 minutes, involuntary evacuations, respiration slow, tongue 
hanging out of the mouth, salivation very profuse; an hour after the bite 
death ensued. 
The bite of Distira ornata was seen to be fatal when the snake closed its 
jaws, with much difficulty, on the comb of a fowl; the symptoms being chiefly 
of paralytic nature. Fayrer failed to make Distira jerdoni inflict any wound 
on dogs, the fangs being too small for the skin. 
HYDROPHIS. 
Fayrer experimented with a few species of this genus. Thus Hydrophis 
nigrocincta killed a fowl in 15 minutes, while H. chloris, which is probably the 
same as H. fasciatus, caused death after a considerable interval in fowls on 
which it was forcibly made to close its jaws. The fangs are very minute. 
On the other hand, Fayrer records one experiment in which the minute fangs 
of H. gracilis could not penetrate the skin of a dog. 
ENHYDRINA. 
The bite of Enhydrina valakadien s. bengalensis is fatal when it is induced 
to bite voluntarily or made to close its jaws on a dog or fowl. Death occurs, 
however, much slower than in cases of the bite of elapine snakes, which is 
easily accounted for by the minuteness of the fangs and the torpid and obsti- 
nate nature of the sea-snakes. 
HYDRUS. 
Hydrus platurus (another name of Pelamis bicolor), when quite active is 
able to inflict a fatal bite on a fowl. No other animals have been tested as to 
the effects of its bite. The symptoms consist of a series of paralytic reactions. 
The blood was fluid in one case in a fowl which died about 6 hours after the 
bite. 
