POISON OF SOME INDIAN' VENOMOUS SNAKES. 25 



guinea-pig. In one pigeon, killed by Baboia-w enom, the blood 

 remained permanently fluid after death ; but in the other, and 

 also in the guinea-pigs, it coagulated firmly. This is an excep- 

 tion to the rule which has been noticed in experiments made 

 in India, that the blood after Bahoia-'poisomng remains fluid — 

 in marked contradistinction to death from cobra-venom, in 

 which the blood almost invariably coagulates. Coagulation, 

 however, of the blood of a fowl after death from the bite of a 

 Dahoia has also been noticed by one of us (Dr. Fayrer) in India ; 

 and therefore the coagulation in our experiments was not due 

 to the lower temperature of the atmosphere. 



Experiment I. 



August 27th, 1873. — Three milligrammes of dried Dahoia- 

 poison, received some weeks ago from Balasore, were injected 

 into the thigh of an old and vigorous pigeon at 2.48. 



2.53. No apparent effect, except that the bird is lame on that 

 leg. 



3.2. The bird is sluggish. Eespirations hurried. Lameness 

 continues. 



3.18. Still sluggish, but it is not deejjly affected. 



3.30. Disinclined to move. When placed on the table it sank 

 on its breast. No nodding of the head, 



3.45. Sudden and violent convulsions. 



3.46. Dead in 58 minutes from the time of injection. 

 Electrodes inserted into the spinal cord soon after death 



caused movements of the wings, but not of the legs. Blood 

 taken from the bird just before death partially coagulated 

 after death. Blood taken from it after death coagulated more 

 firmly, but less firmly than some taken from another pigeon 

 poisoned with cobra venom. 



Experiment II. 



A young full-grown pigeon had 3 milligrammes of dried 

 Baboia-i^oison injected into the peritoneum at 3.5 p.m. 



At 3.13 it was observed to pass suddenly into violent con- 

 vulsions, flapping its wings strongly. It continued in this state 



