POISONOUS ANIMALS 215 



ment was made some time back upon an unfortunate 

 sufferer from that malady in order to test its 

 efficacy, with the result that the patient died. 

 The virulence of the reptile's venom may well be 

 judged by stating that, when in a dried state, it has 

 been proved to lose none of its potency after having 

 been frozen for half an hour at a temperature of 

 four degrees above zero, or heated to as high as 210 

 degrees Fahrenheit. 



Mention must be made of the African puff-adder, 

 which is remarkable for its habit of distending its 

 body with air when annoyed or irritated. The 

 Hottentots kill the creatures by spitting tobacco- 

 juice into their mouths, while, according to Mr. 

 Lydekker, the Bushmen use the reptiles' venom for 

 the purpose of poisoning the tips of their arrows, 

 the juice of the amaryllis being incorporated with 

 the fluid so as to make it adhesive. 



The poison of snakes is frequently used in medical 

 practice, both in European and foreign countries. 

 We read that the Kabirajes, or * fathers of medicine,' 

 of Bengal, obtained their supply of cobra venom by 

 placing one of the snakes within a covered earthen 

 pot containing several green plantains. This was 

 then placed over a fire until the inmate became an- 

 noyed and showed its displeasure at being toasted 

 by biting upon the inoffensive plantains. The fruit 

 was then removed, and those parts which had turned 

 black through the action of the injected venom 

 were cut out, dried, powdered, and purified in various 

 ways, when the preparation was ready for use as a 

 medicine, the application of which was resorted to 



