POISON OF SOME INDIAN VENOMOUS SNAKES. 45 



12.15. Head has sunk down. The breathing was laboured. 

 The animal made a sudden start forwards. The hind legs 

 dragged behind. It did not move readily when irritated. The 

 breathing was laboured ; the expiration convulsive. General 

 convulsive movements occurred. 



12.18. The animal seemed dead. The heart was still beating. 

 A drop of blood was taken from the tail ; and, the thorax being 

 opened, another was taken from the right ventricle. On being 

 examined microscopically, the corpuscles in both were seen to 

 be very much crenated. They did not form rouleaux. Another 

 drop was taken from the right ventricle, and surrounded with 

 oil to prevent evaporation. Hardly a trace of crenation could 

 be observed in this drop ; but several branching crystals of a 

 reddish colour were observed, and some of them appeared to 

 grow while under observation. Numerous granular masses 

 were also seen. 



Experiment XXII. 



August 27th. — Injected 1 c.c. of a 2-per-cent. solution of 

 cobra-poison under the skin of the hip of a white rat. 



1.35. Injection made. 



1.37. Eespiration quick. The end of the tail snipped off, and 

 a drop of blood examined by Dr. Klein. The red corpuscles 

 are much crenated, and have no tendency to form louleaux, but 

 adhere together in flat masses. The plasma contains numerous 

 lumps of a granular material, probably coagula of some sort. 



2.5. The animal lies stretched out. Makes a curious squeak- 

 ing noise. It does not rise when the tail is pinched. 



2.13. Lies with nose on ground. Convulsive movements of 

 hind legs. 



2.15. Head sinks to one side. Convulsive movements. 



2.18. Breathing slow. Marked interval between inspiration 

 and expiration. 



2.19. Stopped breathing. Heart still beating. 



2.20. The animal lay on its back. A few weak respirations 

 were made, and then ceased. The heart was beating steadily. 

 Thorax opened and heart exposed. A little blood drawn from 

 the ventricles by a fine pipette was examined microscopically 



