110 INDIAN SNAKE POISONS, 



and vomited, the vomiting being instantaneously fol- 

 lowed by general convulsions, in which the limbs were 

 extended and the head thrown hack. The breathing 

 was laborious and often interrupted, the pupils were 

 contracted. The pulse became less frequent and very 

 feeble. The animal died in twenty-four minutes. 



In the case of a pigeon, three minutes after the bite it 

 fell down and immediately began breathing convulsively, 

 now and then gasping, and making efforts to rise. At 

 the end of the seventh minute the laboured breathing 

 ceased, and the bird died at once. 



In these insitanoes we have in mammals general pri- 

 mary convulsions occurring five minutes after the in- 

 fliction of the bite, very rapid breathing, followed by 

 general paralysis and death. In one of the cases, also, 

 there was chronic constitutional poisoning commencing 

 directly after the bite, but not proving fatal till the third 

 day. There was, in this case, albuminuria, and passing 

 of blood from the rectum. In no case is salivation or 

 paralysis of the tongue mentioned. 



In birds the convulsions seem to be entirely replaced 

 by excessive disorder of the respiratory function. There 

 is gasping, with irregular movements of the chest- 

 v?alls, and general paralysis supervenes. There seems, 

 also, great muscular weakness. The blood is nearly 

 always found fluid, and even extravasations of blood in 

 the viscera have been found after death. t 



In its main features, therefore, the Crotalus resembles 



