THEIE NATUEE AND EFFECTS. 93 



the tongue, salivation, convulsions and death. In all 

 these, the exact course of symptoms described in cobra- 

 poisoning is to be observed, and it vyould not be 

 possible, from watching a case of this kind to decide 

 whether it was an instance of cobra-poisoning, or of 

 poisoning by the Bungarus fasciatus, that was under 

 observation. The only difference that can be pointed 

 out is in the time that elapses before death occurs. 

 Thus, in the two cases given of death from the bite of 

 the cobra, seventy-three minutes and twenty-two minutes ' 

 elapsed respectively before death ; whereas, the shortest 

 time in the case of the Bungarus fasciatus was eighty- 

 three minutes before a small dog succumbedj and a 

 large dog lived ninety-nine minutes ; and a medium- 

 sized dog survived no less than three hours and thirty-six 

 minutes, and all the symptoms were much more gradual 

 in their accession, and lasted a longer time. In birds, 

 too, the symptoms are exactly those of cobra-poisoning, 

 only they are also more prolonged. 



But if the Experiments VI., VII., and VIII. are 

 examined, an entirely different set of phenomena is to 

 be observed. Thus, if Experiment VII. is taken, we 

 find that for five complete days after being bitten, the 

 animal remained in perfect health. At the end of this 

 period the dog appeared indisposed, and from this time 

 a disease commenced, having marked definite features, 

 which proved fatal on the ninth day. The most singular 

 feature in this condition is the long interval that occurs 



