70 Messrs. T. L. Bnmton and J. Fayrer on the [Jan. 22, 



of blood and effusion into areolar tissue. In Experiment III. it was noted 

 that greater lethargy and less violent convulsions occurred in the pigeon 

 poisoned by cobra-venom than in that poisoned by Daboia ; but this might 

 readily be due to individual difference in the bird ; and an opposite result 

 is noted in Experiment VII. upon a guineapig. In one pigeon, killed by 

 Daboia-venom, the blood remained permanently fluid after death ; but in 

 the other, and also in the guineapigs, it coagulated firmly. This is an excep- 

 tion to the rule which has been noticed in experiments made in India, 

 that the blood after Da&om-poisoning remains fluid in marked contradi- 

 stinction to death from cobra-venom, in which the blood almost invariably 

 coagulates. Coagulation, however, of the blood of a fowl after death from 

 the bite of a Daboia has also been noticed by one of us (Dr. Fayrer) in 

 India ; and therefore the coagulation in our experiments was not due to 

 the lower temperature of the atmosphere. 



Experiment I. 



August 27th, 1873. Three milligrammes of dried Daboia-poison, re- 

 ceived some weeks ago from Balasore, were injected into the thigh of an 

 old and vigorous pigeon at 2.48. 



2.53. No apparent effect, except that the bird is lame on that leg. 



3.2. The bird is sluggish. Inspirations hurried. Lameness con- 

 tinues. 



3.18. Still sluggish, but it is not deeply affected. 



3.30. Disinclined to move. When placed on the table it sunk on its 

 breast. No nodding of the head. 



3.45. Sudden and violent convulsions. 



3.46. Dead in 58 minutes from the time of injection. 



Electrodes inserted into the spinal cord soon after death caused move- 

 ments of the wings, but not of the legs. Blood taken from the bird, just 

 before death, partially coagulated after death. Blood taken from it after 

 death, coagulated more firmly but less firmly than some taken from 

 another pigeon poisoned with cobra- venom. 



Experiment II. 



A young full-grown pigeon had 3 milligrammes of dried Zta&ota-poison 

 injected into the peritoneum at 3.5 P.M. 



At 3.13 it was observed to pass suddenly into violent convulsions, flap- 

 ping its wings strongly. It continued in this state for a minute ; and at 

 3.14 it died, 9 minutes after the injection. 



Electrodes inserted into the spinal cord, in the neck, caused violent 

 muscular contractions all over the wings and legs. The cord was thus 

 evidently not paralyzed; but its irritability soon ceased. The blood 

 remained permanently fluid, and became bright red on exposure to air : 

 under the microscope (400 diameters) the corpuscles seemed normal. 

 Bigor mortis came on. 



