256 PROCEEDINGS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. 



patible or another substance that at once I'esolves tLe iodide into its 

 elements, and sets the iodine free. Sweet spirits of Nitre does so. 

 Give an ounce in water or mucilage or syrup of any sort. It is far 

 best to give a large dose and make sure. The Nitric Ether is even 

 more rapidly absorbed than the iodide of potash and the instant they 

 meet in solution the iodine is freed and at once attacks and neutralizes 

 the venom. 



I had received a large jar from India, with many poisonous 

 snakes, and the jar was broken on its route, the snakes consequently 

 on arrival were withered and dried. These were placed with the 

 heads down in a large vase and a-quart of water and a pint of proof 

 spirit poured over the heads to soften them. In the vase were two 

 gnans Hamadryas Elaps, (Cantor). These ai-e the most deadly of 

 the cobra family, and the largest. The first was 9 feet 1 inch, the 

 smaller 7 feet 8 inches. This herculean cobra fears nothing and flies 

 from nothing. Mr. Theobald mentions a case of an adult yoimg 

 male elephant that was struck between the eyes by a large gnan, 

 and died in three hours and of a snake chai^mer who was bit in the 

 wrist and died in a few miniites. The reason of dwelling on this 

 species will be seen on reviewing my own personal case, and I do 

 not wish to endure such extreme agony again. 



There were two adult cobras, one sixty and the other fifty-six 

 inches long. 



One Trimesurus Cai-inatus half-grown eighteen inches long. 



Two Echis Carinata, one adult sixteen inches, the other twelve 

 and half inches vei-y deadly from Bushere, in Persia. 



Two Bungarus Fasciatus, one five feet four a grand specimen, 

 and a smaller twenty-nine inches but large enough to kill anybody. 



Three Bungarus Cosruleus — the Krait, adults forty-four, forty- 

 three and thirty-six inciies respectively. 



Two Daboia Russellii, the famous Tic Polonga killed in the 

 Botanic gardens of Calcutta, thirty-seven and thirty-four inches 

 Ions:, about half-grown. 



It is a well established fact, that snake poisons lose nothing of 

 their virulence by the addition of water or spirit though a rather 

 lai'ger quantity is required to be injected to kill. 



What came from all these heads was compai-atively small of 

 necessity, but even a small portion of it produced the symptoms of 



