28 THE LAND-MARKS OF 



dirty and unreliable, though high prices are often 

 given.* On one occasion, through an oblig- 

 ing correspondent, I was supplied with a large 

 quantity of supposed poison, which subsequently 

 was found to be " gum," which the poison much 

 resembles. On another I bought what appeared 

 to be the genuine article, and it proved to be 

 strychnine and gum mixed. 



Fontana obtained the poison of the viper by 

 killing the animal, and compressing the poison 

 glands, which are situated behind the eyes, until 

 the fluid exuded through the ducts. Bamett 

 and others chloroformed the animal, and then 

 exerted pressure on the glands. Prince Bona- 

 parte made the snake bite upon soft substance 

 which imbibed venom readily, and from which 

 it could be easily removed by water. 



Dr. S. Weir Mitchell's method is here described: 



Weir Mitchell's 



method of col- In moving snakes, it is customary to employ long- 



lecting snake- , ,, , , ' , . , . . ■ \ , 



poison. handled tonga or forceps, which aro apt to pinch and 



otherwise injure them. I have been in the habit of using 



for this purpose a bar of wood, four feet long, and cut off 



at the end, so as to present a slightly roughened surface 



one and a half inches square ; on one side of the end 



a piece of soft and pliant leather strap was nailed 



* I have paid as much as five rupees for one grain of 

 snake-poison. 



