39.0 



UNITED STATES. 



at each other, endeavouring to throw their heads 

 round the neck of their antagonist; the one that 

 succeeds pulls with great violence, and endeavours 

 to drag the other down to the ground. In this strug- 

 gle they frequently loose their holds, which they 

 again resume, and proceed as before. A friend who 

 was an eye-witness to such a combat between Savan- 

 nah and Augusta in Georgia, saw the black snake 

 completely conquer the rattle-snake and drag him 

 into the water. 



Dr. Barton informs us he has made a considerable 

 number of experiments to ascertain the effects of 

 the venom of this reptile upon different animals, and 

 has found that it often kills in a very few minutes. 

 The effects of the pioison are very various, not only 

 in different species of animals, but even in different 

 individuals of the same species. It sometimes in- 

 duces most violent pains, which, if we may judge 

 from the cries of the bitten animal, continue nearly 

 to the close of its life. At other times, the poison 

 induces death without creating any, or but very little 

 pain. Hitherto, his principal experiments have been 

 made with warm blooded animals, such as dogs, cats, 

 and rabbits. He is inclined to think, that the venom 

 exerts very inconsiderable effects upon cold blooded 

 animals. Warm blooded animals that have been 

 most violently affected by the poison, sometimes 

 struggle through the danger, and perfectly recover, 

 although no remedy has been applied. This may 

 serve to shew how many inert vegetables have ac- 

 quired the reputation of curing the bite of the rattle- 

 snake. He has ventured to apply a portion of the 

 undiluted veuom of a rattle-snake^ recently thrown 



