376 THE SNAKES OF SOUTH AFRICA. 



gently and gradually, with the thumb and forefinger of his right 

 hand. The poison is forced along the ducts, and issues from the 

 mouth in drops ; these are received into a clean watch-glass 

 held underneath. 



If a snake is freshly killed, the glands may be dissected out 

 and the duct tied. Unless this operation is carefully and gently 

 performed, nearly all the venom will be squeezed out and lost. 

 It is better to remove the skin from the nose, raise the poison 

 ducts with the tip of a penknife, tie them with fine thread, and 

 then proceed to remove the glands. If the poison ducts be tied 

 in this manner, little or no venom will be lost. 



If the glands are quickly dried and stored in a well-corked 

 bottle, the dry venom with which they are charged will remain 

 active indefinitely.* 



The quantity of venom collected at one time from a freshly 

 caught adult Cape Cobra varies from six to ten drops — some- 

 times a Httle more. When the weather is moist and warm, the 

 glands secrete venom rapidly. A snake, which has been kept 

 in captivity, even for only a few days and which has been handled 

 freely, will not give nearly so much venom as one freshly caught 

 unless it is angered by rough handling. 



The reason is, the former is in a fierce state of anger and fear. 

 This condition is exceedingly favourable for the rapid secretion 

 and ejection of venom. Snakes, when often handled, become 

 increasingly passive, even refusing to bite under the strongest 

 provocation. I have frequently, with finger and thumb, opened 

 the jaws of snakes and placed them over the rim of the rubber- 

 covered glass, but they persistently refused to bite. The only 

 thing to do in these cases is to elevate the fangs with a bit of 

 pointed wood and compress the head and manipulate the poison 

 glands. Mechanical pressure of the glands is not nearly so 

 successful in expelling the venom as the natural action of the 

 Masseter muscle fibres which wring the glands, when the snake 

 desires to bite. In very large freshly caught Cobras, as much as 

 fifteen drops of venom may be collected within ten minutes by 

 allowing the reptile to retain its hold, meanwhile irritating it 

 now and then by rubbing its nose with a bit of blunt stick. Dr. 

 Hanna mentions having obtained as much as twenty-eight drops 



* It is best to snip off the ducts and press the venom out into a watch- 

 glass, gently squeezing the gland from the base forwards. 



