^ 450 The PheBnomem of Gravitation proved to be proximate 



of six. For some time they appeared plunged in a state of 

 stupor and inertness; but scarcely had one hour elapsed before 

 they showed themselves as vivacious and hearty as before. 



So convincing were these experiments to one of the assistants, 

 that he swallowed all the poison which could be extracted from 

 four other large vipers, and was not in the least affected by it. 



The following year the experiment was repeated on a crow 

 after a fast of twelve hours, and it swallowed without injury the 

 venom of six vipers. 



In the month of October IS 14 (continues the author of the 

 memoir) I made seven large vipers discharge all their venom 

 into one dish, and immediately dipped into it four small pieces 

 of bread, whicli were swallowed by a pigeon. At first he ap- 

 peared languid, but in a short time became as well as before. 

 Some days after I inserted into one of his feet, as also into those 

 of another pigeon, a small particle of very dry venom, which had 

 been preserved for four months in a glass phial well corked up. 

 Both of them soon gave manifest signs of being poisoned, and 

 died at about the end of two hours. 



Another pigeon swallowed all the venom whicii ten of the 

 largest vipers could furnish,without presenting the least symptom 

 of being poisoned. 



Fontana alleged that the dry poison does not preserve its 

 poisonous properties beyond nine months. This assertion was 

 founded on experiments in which there was a possibility that the 

 poison introduced into the wound might not have been retained, 

 but expelled again with the flow of blood ; and it is besides com- 

 pletely refuted by the following experiments of the author of this 

 memoir. On poison preserved carefully for eighteen month?, 

 twentv-two months, and even twenty-six months, being intro- 

 duced into the feet of several pigeons, they all died within half 

 an hour or an hour. To secure the retention of the poison, the 

 author immediately on inserting it stopped up the wound with 

 a little lint. The result of these experiments completely de- 

 monstrates the error of Fontana's assertion, and proves that the 

 })oison of the viper preserved with proper care may retain for 

 many years its destructive properties. 



C. Tlic P/icpno've7ia called hi/ the Name of Gravitation proved 

 to be proximate Effects of the Orbicular and Rotary Motions 

 of the Earth. By Sir Richard Phillips. 



XT is the proper object and end of philosophy to investigate thQ 

 mechanism of c A usESj and the means by which^ihey produce 



nf-tural 



