NON-VENOMOUS SNAKES. 381 



The venom of the Cape Cobra is usually fatal to small snakes 

 of the non-venomous species. Frogs die almost instantly. 

 Toads linger a long time and often make a complete recovery. 



Schaapstekers die in about fifteen minutes when bitten by 

 Cobras and Boomslangs. 



Six drops of Puff Adder venom were injected into a large Mole 

 snake, four feet six inches long. The injection was made in the 

 middle part of the back under the skin. The Mole snake survived 

 three days and died. Another lived nine days. If a large dose 

 (six drops) is injected right into the abdominal cavity, it is in- 

 variably fatal within twelve hours. 



A Mole snake was also bitten by a variegated variety of Boom- 

 slang in the muscles of the back a few inches above the tail, on 

 a spot from which the scales had been scraped off. The Boom- 

 slang was allowed to hold on for three or four minutes and worry 

 the flesh. The venom shed on the skin was then scraped up and 

 rubbed into a cut in the back of the Mole snake. No poisonous 

 effects followed. 



Five drops of venom were taken from an adult Puff Adder 

 and injected under the skin of the same reptile. It grew in- 

 creasingly sluggish, and died on the sixth day. 



A Berg Adder {Bitis atropos) was forced to bite a Night Adder 

 [Causus rhombeatus) . The fangs were driven well home in the 

 muscles in the tail region. The Berg Adder was none the worse 

 for the bite. 



A Puff Adder which was introduced into a cage containing 

 Mole snakes bit one of the latter. The victim died the following 

 day. The body was very much swollen ; blood oozed from the 

 vent and the mouth. An internal examination showed that the 

 blood had oozed in considerable quantity into the abdominal cavity. 



A Ringhals bit another in one of our snake cages and held 

 on tight, worrying the flesh of its victim for fifteen minutes. No 

 symptoms of poisoning followed. The victim lived for many 

 months afterwards. 



These and subsequent experiments have shown that although 

 venomous - and non-venomous snakes are resistant in varying 

 degrees to snake venom, they will all die if a sufficiently large 

 dose is injected, and that, although some snakes are resistant to 

 their own venom to a greater or less extent, yet an exceptionally 

 large dose of their own poison will prove lethal. 



