320 THE SNAKES OF SOUTH AFRICA. 



The Tests. 



A quantity of this Isibiba was procured and forwarded 

 to me. 



A large domestic tom-cat was chosen for the first experiment, 

 for the reason that cats resist the action of snake venom much 

 more successfully than any other animal of the same size with 

 which experiments have been made. A large pinch of the powder 

 was dropped into the cat's open mouth, which fell into the throat 

 and was swallowed. A Puff Adder was then allowed to inflict 

 one full bite on the upper part of the cat's back leg. The spot 

 was instantly scarified, three cuts being made. The wounds 

 were nibbed thoroughly with Isibiba. After an interval, more 

 was applied. Later, the wound was rubbed with a third dose. 

 The cat died in one hour twenty-seven minutes after. 



Some of this Isibiba was mixed with the venom of a Puff Adder 

 and rubbed into a cut in the leg of a fowl. The fowl died in half 

 an hour. Isibiba was mixed with three drops of Puff Adder venom 

 and some water and allowed to stand a whole day. The mixture 

 was rubbed into a cut in a fowl's leg. The fowl died. Other 

 experiments followed, with similar results. 



A full-grown Vervet or Blue Ape, similar to the one used in 

 the original experiment with Isibiba, was obtained. I inserted 

 a fair quantity of the Isibiba powder supplied by Mr. Reitz, and 

 some of that which was supposed to have cured the man and the 

 dog when bitten by Puff Adders, into a piece of banana. The 

 monkey ate the banana. Allowing an interval of fifteen minutes, 

 I caused a Puff Adder to bite the monkey in the lower part of 

 the back leg. The site of the punctures was instantly scarified 

 thoroughly, and the wounds smothered with a mixture of the 

 two samples of Isibiba. The monkey, within five minutes of the 

 bite, showed signs of poisoning. The symptoms steadily deve- 

 loped, until death took place twenty minutes after the infliction 

 of the bite. 



The Puff Adder was a fresh one which I had captured a week 

 previously. The bite it inflicted was a complete one. It was 

 held by the neck and allowed to retain its hold two seconds. 



Samples of Isibiba from the Transvaal, Swaziland, and Natal 

 were mixed together. A teaspoonful of water and six drops of 



