22 Scientific Society of San Antonio. 



observations may be added whilst the opportunity presents it- 

 self at this meeting-. Among the misinformed and supersti- 

 tious a great deal of ignorance prevails in regard to serpents, 

 the venomous species in particular. The greater majority of 

 snakes in our climate are harmless, and not alone this, they are 

 useful creatures, as they live on all kinds of varmint, such as 

 rats, mice, frogs and toads ; also birds, rabbits and all sorts of 

 insects. Still, to those not familiar with serpents, it is always 

 advisable to be on the safe side and kill any and all snakes en- 

 countered. Owing to our warm semi-tropical climate, and a 

 vast and in part as yet unsettled territory, in secluded and fa- 

 vorable regions, Texas still harbors quite a variety of different 

 species of serpents, but the dreaded dangerous species, such 

 as the rattlesnake, moccasin and copperhead, have considerably 

 diminished in Texas of late years. Regarding certain species, 

 scientists seem to be in doubt as to whether the multi-colored, 

 so-called "kingsnake" or coral snake, is of a dangerous type ; 

 some claiming that the saMva of this as well as of all other 

 snake species, is poisonous. (Compare Transactions of the 

 Texas Academy of Science, Vol. V, p. 22 et scq.) I am inclined 

 to believe this is true to a degree only, and it is a well known fact 

 that not all snakes impart such deep-seated and dangerous -inocu- 

 lation wounds like those species especially supplied with large 

 grooved poison fangs, communicating with extra poison sacs con- 

 cealing the deadly virus. As alluded to before, the poison symp- 

 toms from snake venom intoxication depend on certain circum- 

 stances : first, the length of time elapsed since inoculation ; 

 second, whether a ligature has been at once and properly sup- 

 plied ; third, whether the fangs had penetrated only superfi- 

 cially or deeply into the subcuticular tissues ; fourth, whether the 

 parts bitten are rich in blood vessels and lymphatics, and 

 whether or not these had been lacerated; and lastly — fright! 

 which is often wholly unwarranted, some persons fainting or 

 getting hysteric by the mere sight of an innocent snake. The 

 venom of all poisonous animals, especially such of serpents of 

 venomous type, acts directly or indirectly upon the heart and 

 nerve centers as a great depressant ; therefore stimulating reme- 

 dies, as ammonia, strychnine, nitroglycerine, alcohol and a new 

 remedy, adrenalin, are employed to stimulate the heart and 

 nerve centers, and retard the paralyzing effect of the venom 



