90 REPTILES AND BIRDS. 
the system till more effectual means can be adopted. It is well to 
suck the wound and make it bleed ; it is necessary also to make an 
incision, so as to expose the internal parts, and then to cauterise the 
wound immediately, either with a red-hot iron or by means of a 
caustic agent. For this purpose the following composition may be 
employed :— 
Perchloride of iron.) }wi« 2s sy») 60 Grate. 
Citric. acid | J < « Ee IT BID, Cla 
Hydrochloric acid . HIASIUG-HOW. YR GO... 9. 
Water anpenos ot eahs « ¥.glintcd neatnlddeat. 
A few drops of. this is poured on the wounded part, which is then 
covered with a small piece of lint. Iodine or iodinet of potassium can 
also be employed. M. Viand-Marais has substituted the following 
composition for this compound with great success :— 
Water: * sithers gy a..0- mt hp ye eee 
Todinet of Potassium... . . 4 hada 
Metallic iodine DOE ,esinde dea) Doeosmyug, 
To facilitate the introduction of caustic into the wound, the same 
naturalist has invented a little bottle closed with emery ; the stopper, 
which is long and conical at the lower end, plunges into the liquid. 
By means of this stopper the medicated substance can be made to 
penetrate by drops as far as the bottom of the wound, which has 
been previously enlarged by the bistoury. ‘This little apparatus will 
replace with advantage the bottle of volatile alkali with which viper- 
hunters are usually furnished. But all these means are only useful 
when applied immediately. The limbs and round about the wound 
must, besides, be rubbed with ammoniacal liniments. Afterwards 
emollient poultices should be used to lower the swelling and reduce 
the chances of congestion ; while tonics, sudorifics, and sometimes 
ammoniacal potions, should be given internally. 
It is a remarkable fact that this venom, which is one of the most 
virulent poisons known, can be taken internally with impunity. It 
is neither acrid nor burning, and only preduces a sensation on the 
tongue analogous to that caused by greasy matter. But if introduced 
into-a wound in sufficient quantities, it enters into the blood, and 
causes death with frightful rapidity. This is a characteristic common 
to all morbid and venomous virus. 
The strength of the venom varies according to the species of 
Snake, and likewise the condition of the animal. The same species 
is more dangerous in hot than in cold or temperate regions. The bite 
