PECULIARITIES OF SNAKE POISON 19 



commonly distributed throughout their range. Yet, 

 judging by the one instance mentioned by i)r. Brazil, 

 they attack and master these coral-snakes, although the 

 conflict in the end results in their death. It would be 

 interesting to find out whether this attack was excep- 

 tional — that is, whether the mussurama has or has not, as 

 a species, learned to avoid the coral-snake. If it was 

 not exceptional, then not only is the instance highly 

 curious in itself, but it would also go far to explain the 

 failure of the mussurama to become plentiful. 



For the benefit of those who are not acquainted with 

 the subject, I may mention that the poison of a poison- 

 ous snake is not dangerous to its own species unless 

 injected in very large doses, about ten times what would 

 normally be injected by a bite ; but that it is deadly to 

 all other snakes, poisonous or non-poisonous, save as 

 regards the very few species which themselves eat 

 poisonous snakes. The Indian hamadryad, or giant 

 cobra, is exclusively a snake-eater. It evidently draws 

 a sharp distinction between poisonous and non-poisonous 

 snakes, for Mr. Ditmars has recorded that two indi- 

 viduals in the Bronx Zoo which are habitually fed 

 on harmless snakes, and attack them eagerly, refused 

 to attack a copperhead which was thrown into their 

 cage, being evidently afraid of this pit- viper. It would 

 be interesting to find out if the hamadryad is afraid 

 to prey on all pit- vipers, and also whether it will prey 

 on its small relative, the true cobra — for it may well be 

 that, even if not immune to the viper poison, it is 

 immune to the poison of its close ally, the smaller 

 cobra. 



All these and many other questions would be speedily 

 settled by Doctor Brazil if he were given the oppor- 

 tunity to test them. It must be remembered, more- 



