110 SIR JOSEPH FAYRER, K.C.S.I., ETC., 



cobra, cut out rudely on wood. I suppose there were fifty or 

 a hundred of those wooden representations on the ant-hill. I made 

 inquiry and I heard of a well-known cobra in the neighbourhood, 

 and that numbers of people fed the beast regularly, and that it was 

 an object of worship, especially by those ladies who desired to be 

 fruitful — I believe that is a common mode of serpent worship to 

 this day in India. 



With regard to the mortality caused by different kinds of snakes, 

 as Sir Joseph Fayrer says, the cobra, no doubt, is the most fatal snake. 

 I have only seen one instance of poisoning from the daboia. I 

 once killed a daboia in my own garden, which I sent to the Museum 

 as a specimen. It was 4 feet 5 inches in length. It did not kill 

 its victim ; but the man bitten seemed to have his whole blood 

 disoi"ganised. Blood came from under his skin, and he was in a 

 dreadful state ; but he ultimately recovered. 



The Echis, which is common in Madras, I have never seen any 

 case of poisoning from. It certainly comes into houses, because 

 I have killed one in my own house, but I have never seen a case of 

 biting by the Echis. 



I had on one occasion a very remarkable case of poisoning by a 

 cobra. I was in my garden one morning, when I directed my 

 gardener to take away a lot of old broken bricks from the side of 

 a wall. On taking them away I saw one of the men withdraw 

 his hand suddenly, and he came to me immediately and said he 

 was bitten by a snake, and I discovered the marks of two fangs. 

 I immediately adopted the usual treatment : I put on a ligament 

 and incised freely the two fang marks, and made the man himself 

 suck the wound. Although it did not take a minute from the bite 

 to the operation the man was certainly poisoned by the snake, and 

 he began to suffer from all the symptoms of snake-bite. I sup- 

 ported him with brandy and ammonia and took him off to the 

 hospital, and he ultimately recovered, but he was very bad for two 

 days. The snake was killed in my presence, and proved to be a 

 young cobra, nearly five feet long. 



The Author. — I do not think there is very much for me to say 

 except to thank those who have added so materially to the 

 interest of the evening by the remarks they have made, especially 

 those connected with Serpent Worship. They are most interest- 

 ing and valuable. 



I could not in the space of time at my command give a disquisi- 



