VIPER WOUNDS. 89 
superposed circles, then they will uncoil themselves to their whole 
length with excessive quickness, extending their bodies like a spring, 
drawing it out with the rapidity of lightning, and gliding over a space 
equal to their own length, for they never leave the ground. They 
will now open their jaws wide, erect their fangs, and strike, first 
throwing back their heads, by which means they contrive to strike 
as with a hammer. 
Dr. Bell expresses doubts, in his “ History of British Reptiles,” 
of the existence of any well-authenticated case in this country of 
an adder bite terminating fatally.* At the same time he cautions 
all persons against running any risks in the heat of summer and 
autumn, when the poison is most virulent. The remedy applied to 
such a bite is to rub the part with olive oil, over a chafing dish of 
coals, and to take a strong dose of ammonia (spirit of hartshorn) 
internally.t 
Open copses, dry heaths, new woodland clearings, and sandy 
wastes, are the usual haunts and hibernaculum of the adder. 
It was long supposed that Adders, and Snakes generally, exercisea 
a sort of magnetic action—a power which has been called /ascina- 
tion. ‘This impression has been attributed, not without reason, to 
a less mysterious cause; namely, the sentiment of profound terror 
which these creatures inspire. ‘This terror manifests itself in animals 
by tremblings, spasms, and convulsions. The sight of a venomous 
snake sometimes renders its victims immovable, incapable of flight, 
and as if it were paralysed, and thus allow themselves to be seized 
without opposing the slightest resistance. M. Dumeéril, while pur- 
suing experiments in the Museum of Natural History demonstrative 
of the sudden and mortal action of the bite of a viper on little birds, 
saw a goldfinch which he held in his hands die suddenly merely at 
the sight of one. 
In warm countries wounds producéd by the larger species of 
these terrible reptiles are extremely dangerous—they swell, become 
red and ecchymose, and sometimes livid ; the wounded person is 
seized with syncope, fever, and a series of morbid symptoms, which 
often terminate in death. The remedy is to bind immediately a 
ligature above the wound with a band, such as a rolled handkerchief, 
a cord, or a string, so as to stop all communication of the blood with 
the rest of the body, and thus prevent the absorption of the venom into 
* A few cases have been known.—ED. 
~ + Subsequent experiments with the virus of the Indian Cobra have conclusively 
proved that ammonia is not a sufficient antidote.—Eb. 
