THE ADDER, 133 
a matter of fact, however, I believe that this is the 
fourth which may be regarded as vouched for by 
competent authority in Great Britain. Death from a 
snake-bite is more commonly heard of on the 
Continent, but is there invariably due to another 
species of viper, though one which is closely allied to 
our own, Nevertheless, many bitten persons who 
have recovered from all primary symptoms produced 
by the poison eventually succumb to its influence in 
remote indirect effects at a later period. 
“Drs Jennings and Fraser state that the fangs’ 
wounds were one-tenth of an inch apart. If this be 
so, it should stamp the ageressor as a very small 
specimen ; two-fifths, or even half an inch, would more 
nearly represent the interval between the punctures 
inflicted by a full-grown viper. In the bites of these 
serpents which possess erectile fangs, the breadth of 
surface included is often a little greater than the space 
which separates the teeth, as they he quiescent in the 
mouth, a fact which I have repeatedly verified where 
tropical Viperidie and Crotalidee were concerned. But 
it very frequently happens that one fang misses alto- 
vether where the finger is struck. One mark only 
would then, of course, be visible, but it would not 
follow that the symptoms must necessarily be less 
severe. That no pain should be felt for three-quarters 
of an hour is certainly unusual; the rest of the 
phenomena described are characteristic enough ; there 
is often little or no mental disturbance. 
