272 Mr. F. W. Fitz-Simons on the Toxic Action 



This Boomslang was of the striped, black and yellowish- 

 green variety, measuring 4 £t. 9 inclies, whilst the victim 

 was the brown variety 3 ft. 11 inches long. 



The Boomslang is placed in the British Museum Catalogue 

 of Snakes by G. A. Boulenger in the family (yolubridje, 

 series Opisthoglyi^ha, subfamily Dipsadomorphinse. The 

 definition of the Opisthoglypha is " a division of snakes with 

 one or more of the posterior maxillary teeth grooved," most, 

 if not all, being regarded as poisonous to a very slight degree, 

 paralysing their prey before deglutition. 



Now this is a very important point to bear in mind, viz., 

 one of the Opisthoglypha has been classified in many text- 

 books of science as a non-venomous snake, or one not 

 dangerous to man, as it is my present intention to prove the 

 very opposite. 



Sir Andrew Smith in his ' Zoology of South Africa ' 

 remarks: "As this snake, in our opinion, is not provided 

 with a poisonous fluid to instil into wounds which these fangs 

 may inflict, they must consequently be intended for a 

 purpose different to those which exist in poisonous reptiles. 

 Their use seems to offer obstacles to the retrogression (re- 

 tention) of living animals, such as birds &c., while they are 

 only partly within the mouth ; and from the circumstances 

 of these fangs being directed backw^ard and not admitting of 

 being raised so as to form an angle with the edge of the jaw, 

 they are well fitted to act as powerful holders when once 

 they penetrate the skin and soft parts of the prey which their 

 possessors may be in the act of swallowing. Without such 

 fangs escapes would be common ; with such they are rare.'" 



He goes on further to say : " The natives of South Africa 

 regard the Boomslang as poisonous, but in their opinion we 

 cannot concur, as we have not been able to discover the 

 existence of any glands manifestly organized for the secretion 

 of poison. The fangs are enclosed in a soft pulpy sheath, 

 the inner surface of which is commonly coated with a thin 

 glairy secretion. This secretion may possibly have some- 

 thing acrid and irritating in its qualities, which may, when 

 it enters a wound, occasion pain and even swelling, but 

 nothing of greater importance." 



Naturally I accepted this generally current belief, and in 

 consequence I and my assistants freely handled these snakes, 

 taking no precautions against being bitten, deeming such to 

 be superfluous, until, " like a bolt from the blue," Mr. James 

 Williams, an assistant, was bitten, and came within a hair's- 

 breadth of losing his life. 



During November 1907 we had occasion to transfer our 



