ASCRIBED TO THE R AtTLE-SN AKE. Q\ 



An attention to fads conftrains me to rejefl this attempt to- Moft probably 

 wards a folulion of the queftion, which I am confidering. I "°'^' 

 fliall arrange my chiefeft objections under two heads. 



Firff , We are pretty well acquainted with the moft pro becaufe the 



minent effeas produced by the poifon of the rattle-fnake, in ^^'^J' and'^er* 

 various fpecies of animals. It muft be admitted, that there different from 



is a confiderabie variety in thefe effe6ts, and a great differ- '^''j^f /.''^ related 



, -^ . , , . °^ ralcination. 



ence m the Itrength ot thefe effects. In one animal, the poi- 

 fon produces an high degree of inflammatory adion in the 

 fyftem ; in another, the moft ftriking primary effe6t is a fom- 

 nolency, or drowfinefs. In one animal, the poifon does not 

 produce any obvious effedl upon the fyftera for many minutes ; 

 in another the effefts are almoft inflantaneous *. But in almoft 

 every inftance in which the poifon of the rattle-fnake has been 

 fuccefsfully thrown into the body of an animal, there enfue a 

 fet of fymptoms, very different from the a£tions of birds and 

 fquirrels when under the fuppofed fafcinating influence of the 

 ferpent-kind. It is not neceffary to detail, in this place, thefe 

 various fymptoms, becaufe I have already done it in a paper, 

 which is printed in the third volume of the Tranfa6tions of our 

 Society f , and becaufe thefe fymptoms cannot be unknown to 

 the members of the Society. It will be fufficient to obferve, 

 that two of the moft univerfal effe6ts of the poifon of the 

 rattle-fnake, I mean the extreme debility and the giddinefs, 

 which commonly almoft immediately fucceed the bite, will 

 preclude the poffibiiity of a fquirrel's, or a bird's, dancing 

 from branch to branch, flying about, and running to and from 

 the ferpent, for a confiderabie time, before it becomes a prey- 

 to its enemy. Betides, the farce of fafcinalion is often kept 

 up for a much longer term of time than any fmall animals are 

 known to live after a fuccefsful bite by the rattle-fnake. But, 

 perhaps, itmaybefaid, that the rattle-fnake, like fome of our 

 wafps, knows how to inje6t into the animal, which he means 

 to devour, any given quantity of his fubtile poifon. Here, 

 the analogy will not apply : but I have not time to point out 

 the various inftances in which its failure is confpicuous. 



* A fmall dog that was bitten in the fide by a large rattle-fnake, 

 reeled about, and expired, feemingly fuffocated, in two minutes. 

 This was in the month of Auguft. 



t No. xi. p. 110 and ill. 



Katm 



