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interior of New Zealand, renders his observations and opinions of peculiar 

 importance. 



"In the course of my sojourn in New Zealand, I have had three rather 

 remarkable proofs of the violently poisonous nature of the bite of the Katipo. 



" Some twenty years ago a party of natives had taken up a temporary 

 residence at Waihi, near Maketu ; their resting place being near the sea-beach. 

 During the period of their morning's meal, a girl was bitten by a Katipo, in 

 the region of the abdomen. She did not seem at first to suffer much pain, but 

 towards noon, inflammation set in, and some native remedies were used. As 

 these had no effect, her friends decided to convey her to my residence, and 

 they reached my house about one p.m. I discovered, on first seeing her, 

 indications of severe pain ; and on examining the wound, found a swelling of 

 the size and shape of the obtuse end of a hen's egg. I immediately rubbed 

 the part with strong ammonia. This had no other effect than of lessening the 

 sevei'ity of the pain, but failed in decreasing the swelling. I gave the girl also 

 medicine, which was probably salts and tincture of henbane. After this, I 

 saw her nearly every day, for a fortnight, using such means as appeared to me 

 suitable. She seemed at this stage to be gradually recovering, but suddenly 

 became faint and pallid, lost all desire for food, and though offered whatever 

 my house afforded, would only take a little bread and tea, and sometimes a 

 little wine. She lingered in this way for about six weeks and then died. 



"The next case was the son of a trader resident at Maketu ; three of his 

 boys went up the river on a ramble and lingered at the Tumu, resting them- 

 selves by sitting on the tufts of sedge growing on the sand-hills just above the 

 reach of the tide. These tufts are the principal haunts of the Katipo. While 

 so resting, one of them was bitten by this insect, on the fleshy part of the 

 thigh, it having crawled unperceived up his trowsers. The boys were at this 

 time about two miles from home. They returned immediately, but not 

 thinking the bite of any consequence, delayed applying to me until towards 

 evening, at which time the sufferer became ill, and the place bitten inflamed. 

 I attended him, using the same remedies as in the other case ; but he suffered 

 long, wasting, and losing all energy, soon having the appearance of one going 

 into a decline. If I recollect correctly, he was three months before he rallied, 

 and probably another three before he fully recovered. 



"The next case occurred to that remarkable man Toke, the chief of 

 Maketu. We were travelling together up the coast from Whakatane, and 

 halting to dine, he seated himself upon a large tuft of sedge. He had not 

 been resting many minutes before he sprang upon his feet, saying, ' I am 

 badly bitten by a Katipo.' He was bitten on the upper part of the thigh. I 

 directed him to lie down ; I then dissolved some carbonate of soda in a very 

 small quantity of water, and adding to this some brandy from my flask, I 

 quickly made a crucial incision over the part bitten, and squeezed out forcibly, 

 the blood, and then rubbed in this antacid solution, keeping up this action 

 alternately for some ten minutes, when he said he no longer felt the pain. He 

 remarked on rising, ' Had you not been with me, I should have had a long 

 illness.' Only two or three minutes could have elapsed after the bite, before a 

 spot about the size of the top of the little finger appeared, and of a peculiar 

 white colour, in strong contrast with the dusky shade of Toke's skin. He 

 was very careful to secure all the blood I had forced out of the wound I had 

 made, by absorbing it in a piece of rag torn from his shirt ; this relic, now so 

 doubly sacred, he carried into the middle of a swamp close by, and I saw him 

 stamping it down into the ground very violently, to pi'eserve it from possible 

 desecration. 



"The natives generally avoid sleeping on the sea-beach, but have no fear 

 of the Katipo half a stone's throw inland of the sea-beach line. I never knew 



