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which are not immune to the poison different species are 

 very differently affected by the different kinds of snake 

 poisons. Not only are some species more resistant than 

 others to all poisons, but there is a wide variation in the 

 amount of immunity each displays to any given venom. 

 One species will be quickly killed by the poison from 

 one species of snake, and be fairly resistant to the poison 

 of another; whereas in another species the conditions 

 may be directly reversed. 



The mussurama which Doctor Brazil handed me was 

 a fine specimen, perhaps four and a half feet long. I 

 lifted the smooth, lithe bulk in my hands, and then let 

 it twist its coils so that it rested at ease in my arms; it 

 glided to and fro, on its own length, with the sinuous 

 grace of its kind, and showed not the slightest trace of 

 either nervousness or bad temper. Meanwhile the doc- 

 tor bade his attendant put on the table a big jararaca, 

 or fer-de-lance, which was accordingly done. The jara- 

 raca was about three feet and a half, or perhaps nearly 

 four feet long — that is, it was about nine inches shorter 

 than the mussurama. The latter, which I continued to 

 hold in my arms, behaved with friendly and impassive 

 indifference, moving easily to and fro through my hands, 

 and once or twice hiding its head between the sleeve and 

 the body of my coat. The doctor was not quite sure 

 how the mussurama would behave, for it had recently 

 eaten a small snake, and unless hungry it pays no atten- 

 tion whatever to venomous snakes, even when they at- 

 tack and bite it. However, it fortunately proved still to 

 have a good appetite. 



The jararaca was alert and vicious. It partly coiled 



