POISONOUS SNAKES 103 



them, and the effect on the victims of the poison of each is 

 dissimilar. 



The venom of the first group acts most strongly upon 

 the nervous system, and only in a secondary degree on 

 the blood, which is not clotted or thickened by it. The 

 general symptoms are sleepiness and weakness, followed 

 by vomiting and partial paralysis. The action of the heart 

 is much quickened, and convulsions may or may not 

 precede death. Should the person or beast bitten be 

 lucky enough to survive, recovery is quick and complete. 



In the case of viperine poison, the action on the nerves 

 is, at least among the lower animals, secondary to that 

 on the blood. The latter becomes clotted, both the red 

 and the white corpuscles are broken up, the walls of the 

 small blood-vessels become ruptured, and there is 

 bleeding into the surrounding tissues, which causes dis- 

 coloured patches to appear on the body. Death, if it 

 occurs in the earlier stages, is due to paralysis of the heart 

 and lungs, caused by interference with the circulation of 

 the blood. Should the patient survive these earlier effects, 

 he is liable ultimately to succumb to blood poisoning. 

 The action of viperine poison is slower than that of the 

 cobras and mambas, but recovery seems to take longer, 

 sloughing and other signs of constitutional disturbance 

 sometimes persisting for a year or more after the accident. 



The Mamba occurs in forest regions, at low elevations, 

 throughout most of tropical Africa. It is a large and 

 highly venomous snake, attaining, when full grown, to a 

 length of about ten feet. Above, its colour is very dark 

 olive green, verging on slaty black ; the underneath parts 

 are white. The body tapers gracefully, and the head is 

 small. Individuals are sometimes seen in which a bright 

 grass-green colour takes the place of the black, and it 

 has been widely believed in the past that the difference 



