736 



A HISTORY OF 



out taking any food whatsoever. "We have 

 been often assured," says Mr. Pennant, " by 

 intelligent people, of the truth of a fact, that 

 the young of the viper, when terrified, will 

 run down the throat of the parent, and seek 

 shelter in its belly in the same manner as the 

 young of the oppossum retire into the ventral 

 pouch of the old one. From this,'' continues 

 he, ' ; some have imagined that the viper is 

 so unnatural as to devour its own young; but 

 this deserves no credit, as these animals live 

 upon frogs, toads, lizards, and young birds, 

 which they often swallow whole, though the 

 morsel is often three times as thick as their 

 own body." 



The viper is capable of supporting very 

 long abstinence, il, being known that some 

 have been kept in a box six months without 

 food ; yet during the whole time they did not 

 abate of their vivacity. They feed only a 

 small part of the year, but never during their 

 confinement; for if mice, their favourite diet, 

 should at that time be thrown into their box, 

 though they will kill, yet they will never eat 

 them. When at liberty, they remain torpid 

 throughout the winter; yet, when confined, 

 have never been observed to take their an- 

 nual repose. Their poison, however, de- 

 creases in proportion to the length of their 

 confinement; and it is thought that the virtues 

 of the animal's flesh are, by the same restraints, 

 considerably lessened. 



They are usually taken with wooden tongs, 

 by the end of the tail, which may be done 

 without danger; for, while held in that po- 

 sition, they are unable to wind themselves up 

 to hurt their enemy : yet, notwithstanding this 



Krecaution, the viper-catchers are frequently 

 it by them; but, by the application of olive- 

 oil, the bite is effectually cured. 



One William Oliver, a viper-catcher at Bath, 

 was the first who discovered this admirable 

 remedy. On the first of June, 1735, in the 

 presence of a great number of persons, he 

 suffered himself to be bit by an old black 

 viper, (brought by one of the company,) upon 

 the wrist and joint of the thumb of the right 

 hand, so that drops of blood came out of the 

 wound: he immediately felt a violent pain 

 both at the top of his thumb, and up his arm, 

 even before the viper was loosened from his 

 hand ; soon after lie felt a pain, resembling 



that of burning, trickle up his arm; in a few 

 minutes his eyes began to look red and fiery, 

 and to water much; in less than an hour he 

 perceived the venom seize his heart ; with a 

 pricking pain, which was attended with faint- 

 ness, shortness of breath, and cold sweats; 

 in a few minutes after this, his belly began to 

 swell, with great gripings, and pains in his 

 back, which were attended with vomitingsand 

 pui'gings: during the violence of these symp- 

 toms, his sight was gone for several minutes, 

 but he could hear all the while. He said, 

 that in his former experiments he had never 

 deferred making use of his remedy longer 

 than he perceived the effects of the venom 

 reaching his heart ; but this time, being wil- 

 ling to satisfy the company thoroughly, and 

 trusting to the speedy effects of his remedy, 

 which was nothing more than olive-oil, he ab- 

 stained to apply any thing, till he found him- 

 self exceeding ill and quite giddy. About 

 an hour and a quarter after the first of his 

 being bit, a chafing-dish of glowing charcoal 

 was brought in, and his naked arm was held 

 over it, as near as he could bear, while his 

 wife rubbed in the oil with her hand, turning 

 his arm continually round, as if she would 

 have roasted it over the coals : he said the 

 poison goon abated, but the swelling did not 

 diminish much. Most violent purgings and 

 vomitings soon ensued ; and his pulse became 

 so low, and so often interrupted, that it was 

 thought proper to order him a repetition of 

 cordial potions: he said he was not sensible 

 of any great relief from these; but that a 

 glass or two of olive-oil drank down, seemed 

 to give him ease. Continuing in this danger- 

 ous condition, he was put to bed, where his 

 arm was again bathed over a pan of char- 

 coal, and rubbed with olive-oil, heated in a 

 ladle over the charcoal, by Dr. Mortimer's 

 direction, who was the physician that drew 

 up the account. From this last operation he 

 declared that he found immediate ease, as 

 though by some charm : he soon after fell 

 into a profound sleep, and, after about nine 

 hours sound rest, awaked about six the next 

 morning, and found himself very well; but 

 in the afternoon, on drinking some rum and 

 strong beer, so as to be almost intoxicated, 

 the swelling returned, with much pain and 

 cold sweats, which abated soon, on bathing 



