EXPERIMENTS WITH RATTLESNAKES. 8 1 



of the snakes made no movement, Drake took it by the head and 

 tail and approached a window, to see if it was dead ; the animal 

 turned its head quickly, and bit the unfortunate man on the back of 

 his left hand * as he replaced it in the cage he was bitten anew in 

 the palm of the same hand. "A doctor! a doctor !" cried the un- 

 happy man. He rubbed his hand upon some ice which was close 

 by, and two minutes after he bound the wrist tightly with a cord. 

 Four hours later a doctor arrived, and cauterised the wound ; but 

 alarming symptoms soon appeared. Syncope, noisy respiration, 

 scarcely any pulsation, and involuntary evacuations, followed ; the 

 eyes closed, their pupils contracted; the limbs became paralysed, 

 and the body cold. Drake died at the end of nine hours.* 



Some experiments made by a friend of Dr. Bell seem to present 

 different results. This gentleman had received a living rattlesnake 

 from America, intending to try the successive effects of its bite upon 

 some rats. He introduced one into the cage with the snake : it 

 immediately struck the rat, and the latter died in two minutes. 

 Another that was placed in the cage ran to the farthest corner, 

 uttering cries of distress. The snake did not attack it immediately ; 

 but after about half an hour, on being irritated, it struck the rat, 

 which, however, exhibited no signs of being poisoned for several 

 minutes ; nor did it die for about twenty minutes after the bite had 

 been inflicted. A third rat, remarkably large, was then introduced 

 into the cage, and exhibited no signs of terror, nor did it seem 

 to be noticed by its dangerous companion : after watching some 

 time, the gentleman retired to bed, leaving the rattlesnake and rat 

 in the cage together. In the morning the snake lay dead, and the 

 rat had supped on the muscular part of its backbone. Unfortu- 

 nately, Dr. Bell does not remember at what season this experiment 

 took place, but thinks it was not in very warm weather, f 



The climate of France, differing only slightly from that of 

 the United States, is consequently well adapted for the production 

 of rattlesnakes. If a living male and female of these dangerous 

 Crotalida were to escape from a menagerie, their progeny would 

 soon infest the country. It is for this reason that public exhibitions 

 of rattlesnakes are forbidden in France. Nevertheless, two or three 

 may be seen in the collection of the Museum of Natural History at 

 Paris, enclosed in a double cage, every measure of precaution being 

 taken which prudence demands. 



* This is unusual, for we have known both men and animals bitten by them, 

 and although they suffered most acutely, they in all cases recovered. — Ed. 

 f Summer is the season when their bite is most severe. — Ed. 



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