114 JOUENAL. B031BAY NATUBAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. X. 



SouKCES OF Supply. 



Tndia.—l received my first supply of cobra venom ia 1889 from Surgeon-Colonel Moir, 

 lately of Meerut, and soon afterwards — also in small quantities — from the late Dr. Shortt, 

 and from Sir Joseph Fayrer, the Thakore of Gondal, and Dr. Phillips. Larger quantities 

 were subsequently obtained from Surgeon-Captain French, and through the kind efforts of Sir 

 William Macl<innon, Dkector-General of the Army Medical Department, from each of the 

 presidencies of India ; and they had so far increased my stock as to enable me to begin 

 experimental work towards the end of last year. Early in this year a large additional supply 

 was received from Surgeon-Colonel Cunningham, of Calcutta, and this gentleman has quite 

 recently sent a further large quantity of several grammes of dry venom. 



j4TOe?-?ca.— Besides these specimens of the venom of the cobra of India, I have also been 

 fortunate in obtaining specimens of venoms from other parts of the world. From America, 

 Dr. Weir Mitchell, of Philadelphia— whose work on the chemistry and physiology of serpents' 

 venom constitutes the great advance of the century on the venom of viperine serpents— has 

 supplied me with the venom of three species of rattlesnakes ; namely, Crotahis Jiorridus, 

 C. aclamanteiis and C. durissm, and also with a specimen of the venom of the copper head 

 ( Trigoiiocephalus contortrix). 



Australia.— Dr. Thomas Brancroft, of Brisbane, has at various times sent specimens of the 

 venoms of the black snake (PseudecMs prophi/riacus), the brown snake (Diemenia superciliosa) , 

 and of a large unidentified snake of the Diamantina district of South Australia (probably a 

 new species of Diamenia). 



Africa.— T:'^^ kindness of Mr. William Smith, a distinguished naturalist of Cape Town, of 

 Dr. Brook, of the Orange Free States, and of Dr. John Murray and Mr. Van Putten, of Cape 

 Colony, has placed at my disposal small quantities of the venom of the puff adder ( Vipena 

 arietans), the night adder [Aspidelaps lubricus) , the yellow cobra (7\^«ya haie), and the 

 " Eing Hals Slang " or " Einkas " {Sepedon Immachates) ; and Dr. John Anderson, formerly 

 Prof essor of Natural History at Calcutta, has only last week forwarded to me living speci- 

 mens of the Vipera cerastes, to be followed by living specimens of the cobra, which 

 his present connection with the zoology of Egypt has given him peculiar facilities to obtain. 

 In the meantime, however, further evidence has been obtained in support 

 i Ithe reality of the probabilities to which I have referred, Sewall using 

 che venom of the rattlesnake, Kanthack that of the cobra, and Kaufmann, 

 Phisalix and Bertrand that of the viper, obtained experimental evidence 

 of the possibility of producing by " inoculation " a certain slight degree of 

 resistance against the toxic eflFects of these venoms. The relationship of such 

 observations to the recent discoveries in connection with the toxins of tetanus, 

 diphtheria, and other diseases could not long remain unrecognised. Dr. Ban- 

 croft and others have recently suggested " that the blood of animals rendered 

 immune to snake venom might be found of service as a remedy in snakebite," 

 Within- the last few months Phisalix and Bertrand have obtained experi- 

 mental indications of the antidotal power of the blood serum of animals immu- 

 nised, but only to a low degree, against the venom of vipers ; while Calmette, 

 working in the Pasteur Institute of Paris, after several unsuccessful endea- 

 vours had led him to express the opinion that immunity against snake venom 

 could not be produced, afterwards succeeded in obtaining evidence of its pro- 

 duction, and of the power of the blood serum to counteract the effects of 

 venom. 



