1874.] Poison of Indian Venomous Snakes. 81 



in the constitution of the animal, or, as the story used to run, on account 

 of its knowledge of some herb which it used to eat as an antidote ; but such 

 is not the case. If fairly bitten, it succumbs like any other creature, as 

 proved by experiments in India (' Thanatophidia,' pp. 68, 69, and 134). 

 Its great activity and vigour enable it to elude the snake ; and generally, 

 when it is wounded, it is merely scratched, not pierced by the fangs. 

 If the poison is inoculated, it dies. 



The same is true of the pig, which escapes probably by receiving the 

 wound in the foot, where absorption is not rapid or vigorous. This 

 animal, like others, yields to the poison when the fangs are embedded 

 and the virus thoroughly inoculated (vide ' Thanatophidia,' p. 134), 



Action on Germination. 



In order to see whether cobra-poison had any effect on the germination 

 of seeds, the following experiments were made. It will be seen from 

 them that the venom does not prevent germination, but interferes with 

 it, especially when strong. In this it agrees with rattlesnake-poison. 

 (Weir Mitchell ' On Rattlesnake Venom,' p. 52.) 



Experiment XIV. 



A piece of flannel was doubled, and, 12 cress-seeds being laid between 

 the folds, it was placed in a small beaker with 10 cubic centinis. of 

 water. Another piece, treated in the same way, was laid in 9 cubic 

 centims. of water and 1 of a 2-per-cent. solution of dried cobra-poison. 



Some time after the water had evaporated, so as to leave the flannel 

 soaked with water but not covered, nine of those seeds which had been 

 treated with water and poison had germinated and grown to about half 

 an inch in length, while seven of those treated by water alone had ger- 

 minated and had grown somewhat larger than the others. 



Experiment XV. 



The preceding experiment was repeated with lettuce-seeds. Seven of 

 those treated with water alone had germinated, but only one of those 

 treated with water and poison. 



Experiment XVI. 



A small piece of cotton-wool was placed in the bottom of each of two 

 short test-tubes, and ten lettuce- and ten cress-seeds were dropped into 

 each. Ten drops of a solution of dried cobra-poison, containing '0355 

 gramme in 3 cubic centims. of water, were then used to moisten those 

 in one tube, and as nearly as possible the same quantity of pure water 

 for those in the other. The seeds were then covered with a few fibres of 

 cotton-wool ; the tubes were stopped with a plug of the same substance, 

 and placed in a warm room. 



Three days afterwards, all the cress-seeds which had been moistened 

 with water had sprouted and sent out a radicle, varying from | to | an 



