146 On the Cate7'pillar which 



and only serve to throw a doubt around a successful 

 one, and teach us to be cautious and circumspect in our 

 conclusions, especially when met by successful ones. I 

 call those successful ones which have been performed 

 publicly, and before a number of competent judges. I 

 cannot say unbiassed judges, for, in fact, they had their 

 minds strongly bent up against the success of the expe- 

 riments ; thereby, however, becoming the better qualified, 

 in the present case. 



The experiments made in Philadelphia, by Dr. Par- 

 rish, were conducted with that caution, wariness, and 

 circumspection, which do great credit to the experimen- 

 talist. From these, it is inferrable, without any injus- 

 tice to any part of the circumstances, that the reptile is 

 malevolent and venomous. Some of the animals were, 

 from the results given by the gentleman who instituted 

 the experiments, unequivocally injured. The experi- 

 ments are before the public ; I need not retrace them 

 here. It is true, and we have no desire to object to it, 

 that the experimentalist supposed that the symptoms of 

 injur}' had their origin in other sources than the venom 

 of the reptile. 



From the experimentalist we have the facts ; his phi- 

 losophy of them cannot exclude us from taking our 

 own view. These experiments of Dr. Parrish, in the 

 minds of some of the most enlightened of our city, bear 

 more than equivocal testimony in behalf of the venom of 

 the animal. At any rate, we cannot consent that these 

 be arranged against us. They cannot, with the candid, 

 be more opposed to us than to be neuter. T have seen 



