POISONOUS ANIMALS 207 



one of these reptiles was recorded by Mr. W. A. 

 Rudge, of Plymouth, in a contribution to Nature, 

 from which I take the following extract : * While 

 examining a viper it struck me on the right thumb. 

 I immediately sucked the puncture, which bled a 

 little, and tried to make light of the matter. A livid 

 patch soon formed round the point, and the hand and 

 arm began to swell. In a quarter of an hour I was 

 unable to hold anything and almost in a fainting 

 condition. The symptoms I experienced were a 

 peculiar taste and a sensation of swelling in the 

 teeth ; then the tongue commenced to swell, and 

 became so large that I could hardly move it ; my 

 eyes seemed ready to start from their sockets. 

 In half an hour a terrible vomiting commenced, 

 preceded by severe pain in the stomach and heart ; 

 this continued for nine hours . . . My arm was 

 practically without pain and I did not lose conscious- 

 ness at any time. The arm continued to swell for 

 two days, and finally was almost as large as my leg. 

 After then the swelling subsided, but my arm did 

 not regain its normal size for twelve days. After- 

 wards I suffered much from rheumatic pains and 

 impaired digestion.' 



Domestic cattle not infrequently suffer from the 

 bite of vipers, and in some cases even succumb 

 under the virulence of their venom. An instance 

 is recorded of a cow having been bitten which soon 

 became in a comatose state and much swollen about 

 the head, both its eyes being quite invisible, and 

 its breathing being 'accomplished with great diffi- 

 culty. The animal ultimately recovered, but was 



