THE ICHNEUMON. 



of fhades of white, brown, fawn-colour, and filver-grey ; forming together a 

 moll agreeable and rich mixture. The colour, however, is fubjecl: to great 

 variety. Like its congenera, it has fmall eyes, but they have the colour of 

 fire, and lparkle with the moll brilliant vivacity. The ears are fmall, round, 

 and almoft naked ; the nofe long and llender. The body is thicker than that 

 of others of this genus. The tail is covered with long hair at the bafe, 

 which gives it the appearance of being very thick at that part, from which 

 it gradually tapers to the point. The belly and throat are brown. Beneath 

 the tail is an orifice, in which a very foetid humour is fecreted. Its claws 

 are long and fharp. When it attacks its prey, it darts on it with great 

 velocity, and feldom mhTes its aim. It is a moft inveterate enemy to Serpents 

 and other noxious reptiles which inhabit the torrid zone, and difplays great 

 bravery in attacking the moll dangerous kind without mowing any marks 

 of fear, even the Cobra di Capello ; and mould it receive a wound in the 

 combat, is faid inftantly to retire (a), in order that it may obtain an 



(a) Mr. Pennant juftly remarks, that <c this fad is not yet well eftablifhed. Botanifts, he obferves, are 

 not yet agreed about the fpecies of this fanative plant, whofe ufe, it is pretended, this Weefel pointed out to 

 mankind. Thofe who have feen the combats between the Ichneumon and Naja, or Cobra di Capello, never 

 could difcover it. Kaempfer, a writer of the firft authority, who viflted India, and who kept a tame 

 Ichneumon, and had been witnefs to its battles with the Serpent, fays no more than, that it retired and eat 

 the roots of any herb it met with. It is from the Indians he received an account of the root, of whofe 

 veracity he fpeaks with the greateft contempt. Aman. Exot. 576. Rumphius never faw the plant growing; 

 but defcribes it from a fpecimen fent him from Java ; for he fays, the Indians would perfuade him that it 

 had no leaves. Vide Herb. Amboin. App.71. Allthatfeems certain is, that the Indians have a plant, of whofe 

 alexipharmic virtues they have a high opinion, and are faid to ufe it with fuccefs againft the dreadful 

 macaffar poifon, and the bite of Serpents. Ksempfer fays he had good fuccefs with one fpecies, in putrid 

 fevers, and found it infallible for the bite of a mad Dog. As there feems no doubt but that a moll ufeful 

 plant of this nature does exift in the Indies, it is to be hoped that ftrift enquiry will be made after it. In 

 order to direct and facilitate thefe refearches, reference may be had to Garcia ab Homo's Hift. Aromat. in Cluf. 

 Exot. 214. Ktempfer Am<en. Exot. 573. Rumph. Herb. Amb. App. 2Q. Am<en. Acad. ii. 89. Flat. Zeylanica. AQ, 

 100, 23p." 



But while we remain in this ftate of uncertainty with regard to vegetable antidotes, we cannot help 

 congratulating the public on the difcovery of a certain antidote to the fatal effefts of the poifon of fnakes 

 and other reptiles, namely, the cauftic volatile alkaline fpirit, forty drops of which, given internally in fome 

 water, and repeated at intervals of ten minutes, and at the fame time fome of the fpirit being applied to the 

 wound, never fails of curing the malady. We believe Dr. Beddows firft mentioned this antidote in three 



