ECHIS CAEINATUS. 339 
Sir J. Fayrer — whose experiments, on the influence of snake-poison on animals, 
brought him in contact with nearly all the poisonous snakes of India — describes this 
viper as naturally sluggish until roused, when it immediately places itself in a position 
of offence and defence, becomes very irascible and active, rapidly moves the coils of 
its body on one another, producing the loud rustling so characteristic of it and Cerastes, 
and darts on its prey a considerable distance — a foot or more — striking with great 
fierceness and unerring aim. 
The venom of this viper, according to the same authority, destroys life rapidly in 
small mammals and birds, but as the snake is of small size it is perhaps less likely to 
be fatal to man. The deadly effect, however, of its poison on pigeons, fowls and dogs 
led him to regard it with peculiar dread. A few cases have been recorded of human 
beings succumbing to the poison of this viper ; but when the evidence adduced in 
support of them is investigated, I think, it can be said with all truth that no alleged 
instance of death resulting in man from the venom of E. carinatus has been supported 
by evidence in which no flaw can be detected. There can be no doubt, however, that 
in India, where this species is so common, it has the popular reputation of being a 
snake deadly to man. 
After the foregoing was in type, I thought it as well to have the opinion of my 
friend Dr. D. D. Cunningham on this matter. He at once acceded to my request, 
and I am consequently indebted to him for the following note : — 
" I am sorry to say that I can give you very little information regarding the poison of Echis carinatus. 
I had very great difficulty in procuring live specimens, and those which I did get hold of were consequently 
too valuable to allow of my taking venom from them, more especially as the quantity of venom to be 
obtained from any individual is so small that, in order to procure an efficient standardized working stock, 
one would have had to have employed a very large number of specimens. 
" The only experiments, therefore, which I tried were conducted by causing the snakes to bite fowls and 
other small animals, and the results merely served to demonstrate that the poison produced effects parallel 
to those produced by Daboia-venom, and consequently quite distinct ones from those caused by Cobra- 
venom. 
" The symptoms, as in the case of -DaSoia-intoxication, are primarily those of acute nervous irritation, 
which, where the dose of venom is relatively a large one, culminate in acute general convulsions and death 
within 10 minutes at utmost. Where a fatal result does not occur, the irritation is followed by profound 
nervous exhaustion, and this may either be succeeded by recovery or by the incidence of what appears to be 
of the nature of general septicaemia accompanied by a tendency to the occurrence of diffuse haemorrhages. 
" Where the dose of venom is too small to occasion general convulsions, or where a dose, large enough to 
cause the latter when administered in concentrated form, is diluted beyond a certain limit, the onlv 
symptoms present are, as a rule, those of local nervous irritation at the site of the introduction of 
the poison. 
" Cumulative introduction of small doses never leads to the development of general convulsions, but, 
if pushed far enough, induces the induction of the septicemic condition. 
" I never heard of a case of Echis-bite giving rise to acute general convulsions in the human subject, and 
I do not believe that the amount of venom yielded by the bite of any specimen of Echis can ever be large 
enough to produce such a result. 
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