314 THE SNAKES OF SOUTH AFRICA. 



In many cases when the snake was allowed simply to puncture 

 the flesh for an instant, the animal recovered. Often the 

 symptoms of poisoning were only comparatively slight. In all 

 cases when a Cobra, Puff Adder, or Boomslang was allowed to 

 inflict a full bite, death followed. The fangs of the Cobra family 

 of snakes are short and the channel down which the venom 

 flows is very small. I have carefully tested and found that the 

 Cobra, Ringhals, and Mamba, expel their venom at the rate of 

 about a drop from each fang in one second. With the available 

 constricting power exerted on the poison glands, the venom is 

 pressed out with great power, but the channels down which 

 the venom is forced are so small that it issues in a very fine 

 stream. The Puff Adder and others of the adder family have 

 larger fangs, the Night Adders {Causiis) are an exception, and 

 their venom, moreover, being thinner than that of the Cobras, 

 they are, in consequence, able to inject it at a more rapid rate. 

 The reason Nature has not evolved larger grooves through which 

 to drive a bigger dose of venom into the victim in the case of 

 the Cobras and Mambas is that it is not at all necessary, for 

 weight for weight. Cobra and Mamba venom exceed Puff Adder 

 and other adder venom in its death-dealing properties. One 

 drop of Cobra venom will kill a large dog in forty minutes, 

 sometimes less. The same quantity of Puff Adder venom causes 

 constitutional disturbances which are invariably recovered from. 



Alleged Cures, 



Every native " cure " submitted to me so far has proved, 

 upon experimentation, to be absolutely worthless. I have also 

 tested some alleged South African cures, which are proprietary, 

 with equally disappointing results. An owner of a certain pro- 

 prietary " cure " was very anxious that I should experiment 

 with it. He evidently had a good deal of faith in it himself. I 

 intimated that such experiments cost money. I was quite 

 willing to bear such cost in the interests of science, but I pre- 

 sumed he would have no objection to allowing me to publish 

 the results. No, he could not permit such a thing until he first 

 learned the result. Then he would decide. I asked him in the 

 event of failure would he be prepared to withdraw his " cure " 

 from the market ? " No, of course not." Many a valuable life 



