THE VICTORIAN XATURALIST. 85 



eating away their liver. T liave lost several this way. To tlie nak'd 

 eye the flukes look like exceeding minute scales with tiny lioms. 

 They are generally of a dark colour 



The native cat I believe to be all but venom-proof. Mr. Le Souef 

 states that a native cat lived an hour and a half after t had been 

 bitten by three large tiger snakes. I have seen a dog die in three 

 minutes after having been bitten by one. I shall, at some future 

 time, give an account of three different native cats wliieh were bitten 

 and the results. 



I am of opinion that the venom of all Australian snakes is of tlie 

 same composition, but not being able to analyse or to get an 

 authentic analysis, I can only say so from having watched its 

 effects. One conclusion I have arrived at is that the v<MK)ni becomes 

 more deadly by being exposed to the air. I therefore think that the 

 first thing to try and do in cases of snake bite, is to localise the 

 venom, either by ligature or some other means. To lacerate the 

 part bitten, or stimulate the action of the lieart by means of alcoh' 1, 

 &c., is to my mind suicidal. I quite agree with cutting the bitten 

 part clean out immediately ; a piece the size of a large pea would b:> 

 sufficient. 



My theory of snake bites is the following : — The venom, as soi^i 

 as it is injected into the victim is taken up by the absorbents (lym- 

 phatics), from thence into the small blood-vessels, and so on, till it 

 reaches the lungs, where it is brought into contact with the air and 

 has its deadly effects consummated. The effect of the venom 

 appears to be to coagulate the blood and darken its colour. As 

 bearing out tliis theory, I give the following few facts out of a 

 number : — Where the bitten part has been well lacerated, the 

 animal has had a harder struggle for life than when the antidote is 

 merely applied. (Perhaps here I ought to mention that I possess 

 an antidote to snake bites ; experiments with the same I shall be 

 happy to give in detail in some future paper.) Again, the hotter the 

 blood of the animal at the time bitten, the sooner death occurs, (of 

 course, the greater the heat of the blood the quicker the pulsation of 

 the heart.) Then the effect on the system, when venom extracted from 

 the snake is injected under the skin by means of a hypodermal 

 syringe, is different from that of a proper snake bite. In the former 

 case, the symptoms are something like the following, differing 

 slightly in different individuals. First of all, the pupils of the eyes 

 become dilated, heart intermittent and quick, great uneasiness and 

 evident suffering and pain. I have seen an animal lash its tail and 

 utter cries from pain especially upon being touched. There is, too, 

 sickness accompanied with purging. The animal retains conscious- 

 ness to the end. While the following are the symptoms of ordinary 

 snakebites: — Pupils dilated, heart intermittent, high sickness an 1 

 slight purging sometimes, a great dislike to all exertion wliieli ends 

 n a kind of stupor, with no sense of pain at the last. I have cut a 



