1874.] Poison of Indian Vtnomuus Snakes. 87 



1.7. Exposed both sciatica of No. 1, and irritated them by an induced 

 current. 



Left leg. Coil at 0. No contraction. 



Bight leg. Coil at 17*5. Movement of toes. 



The muscles of both legs twitch well when irritated by single shocks 

 (coil at 17*5), except those in the middle of the inside of the left thigh, 

 near the place to which the point of the syringe had penetrated. These 

 muscles contract when the coil is at 3. 



1.13. The muscles of the hip of No. 2 twitch distinctly when irritated 

 by single shocks, coil at 24, 



The toes move distinctly when the sciatic is irritated ; coil at 37. 



1.15. The ventricles of the heart of No. 1 are firmly contracted and 

 motionless. The auricles are still pulsating vigorously. 



The ventricles of the heart of No. 2 are only moderately contracted, 

 and there is no pulsation either in them or the auricles. 



1.22. The toes of the right leg of No. 1 move when the sciatic is 

 irritated, coil at 18. 



Those of No. 2 do so, coil at 37. 



Put the electrodes in the cervical part of the spinal cord of both guinea- 

 pigs, and irritated it by an induced current, coil at 0. No contraction 

 took place in the hind legs of either animal. Contractions occurred in 

 the muscles of the fore legs with much the same force in both. 



1.45. On irritating the muscles by single induced shocks : left leg of 

 No. 1, vastus externus contracts, coil at 9*5 ; rectus femoris, a pale 

 muscle, 12*5. 



No. 1. Eight leg, vastus 15-5, rectus 25. No. 2. Eight leg, vastus 11, 

 rectus 15. 



1.53. No. 1. Left leg, vastus at 16 ; right leg, vastus at 20. No. 2: 

 Left leg, vastus at 20 ; right leg, vastus at 20. The vastus contracts 

 rather more strongly in the right leg of Na. 1 than in those of No. 2. 



2.23. No. 1. Left leg, vastus at 4; right leg, vastus at 11. No. 2. 

 Left leg, vastus at 11 ; right leg, vastus at 11. 



This experiment shows that the venom paralyzes the motor nerves 

 when applied to them locally, a strong current applied to the sciatic 

 causing no contraction in the left leg of No. 1, while a moderate one 

 caused movement in the right foot, at a time when the muscles of both 

 were nearly equally irritable. 



Its deleterious action on the muscles, when conveyed by the blood, is 

 also evident in the rapid loss of irritability after death in both legs o 

 No. 1 as compared with No. 2. The pale muscles seemed to retain their 

 irritability longer than those having a deep colour. 



The power of cobra-poison to paralyze muscle when applied to it, even 

 in a diluted condition, is shown by the following experiment.. 



Experiment XXVI. 

 July USthj 1873. The legs of a large frog were cut off close to the 



