164 NATURAL HISTORY MISCELLANY. - 
periments with the venom of poisonous snakes. Among those 
made to test the value of. local applications was that of the actual 
cautery by plunging pointed red-hot irons deeply into the flesh in 
the places where the fangs had entered, but this failed to destroy 
the poison. 
This result, however, would not surprise one who fully under- 
stood the rapidity with which the blood passes through the soft — 
tissues of the body, and the instantaneous action of the poison 
upon it. 
To show the rapid effect of the poison on the blood, Mr. Sceva 
read one of Dr. Fayrer’s experiments that he had witnessed, in 
which the inguinal fold of the skin of a dog was held by two pairs 
of long-bladed forceps in such a manner as to include a triangular 
piece of about three inches in length. The Cobra’s fangs were 
applied to the middle of the free edge, and with a sharp scalpel, 
held in readiness, the fold of skin was at once cut out, and yet the 
dog died from the effects of the poison in fifty-nine minutes. Dr. 
Fayrer, in his report, made the following comments : — 
‘This was a very interesting and instructive experiment, most 
ond after the bite ; for the knife had entered almost before the fangs 
had left. In fact, it could not have been done more rapidly, 
yet, within one hour, the animal was dead from the effects of the 
poison. The infinitesimal portion of time during which the Cobras 
fangs were inserted in the tissues was sufficient to have sent the 
poison through the circulation beyond the reach of incision, and 
yet how very small must that portion have been.” l 
Mr. Sceva exhibited on the table a living specimen of the Cobra, 
which he had brought with him from India. It was about five feet 
in length, and of the variety known in India as the Keuteah. 
It had eaten nothing while it had been in his possession (since 
Sth of June last), a period of seven months and ten days. He 
had also kept others in India for over five months without food. 
He said the common belief that the Cobra would seek to exer- 
cise ‘its deadly power by biting any person who should come within 
its reach, was quite erroneous. On the contrary, it avoids using its 
fangs as much as possible, except when securing its food. When 
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