THE POISONOUS SNAKES OE INDIA. 
57 
bitten by this snake expired in from tbirty-five seconds to 
several minutes ; dogs, in from seven minutes to several hours ; 
a cat in fifty-seven minutes ; a horse in eleven and a half 
hours. Death was not in any case so rapid as after the Cobra 
bite, but though slower in its action, the poison seemed just 
as deadly. The blood remains fluid after death from the 
poison of the Daboia, whereas after Cobra poisoning it coagu- 
lates firmly on being removed from the heart and great vessels. 
The Daboia is nocturnal in its habits ; in confinement it is 
sluggish, and does not readily strike unless roused and irritated, 
when it bites with great force and determination. When 
disturbed it hisses fiercely, and when it strikes, does so with 
great vigour.” Dr. Fayrer kept one “ for a whole year, without 
food or water ; it obstinately refused either, and was vigorous 
and venomous to the last.” 
The reader will note the great variability of these four 
venomous snakes — a phenomenon, as in other animals, often 
according with a wide geographical distribution. Also, that 
two of them are closely simulated by, or rather simulate, 
harmless species found in the same situations. This applies 
even to the Cobra, for which an innocent snake (Tropidonotus 
macrophthalmus), with its dilatable neck and similarly arranged 
scales, is often mistaken. 
Our space will not allow us to add more than a few figures, 
taken from the work of Dr. Fayrer, giving some account of 
the loss of life due to Indian Thanatophidia, but chiefly to the 
four justly-dreaded serpents * whose history has been sketched 
only in part. 
In one year alone (1869) the deaths by snake-bite in the 
Bengal Presidency amounted to 6,219. Many other deaths 
from the same cause, not officially recorded, must also have 
occurred. 
Of these deaths 959 were ascribed to the Cobra, 160 to the 
Krait, 348 to “ other snakes,” and 4,752 to “ snakes unknown.” 
The snake causing death is often not seen. “ Doubtless, as 
the Cobra is in excess in the recorded cases, so it is in 
those of “ other snakes ” and “ unknown,” whilst the remainder 
“ must be assigned to the Hamadryad, the Bungarus caeruleus, 
Bungarus fasciatus, Daboia Eusseilii, and probably a few to 
the Trimeresuri and Hydrophidse.” 
It is curious to note that “ there was an excess of 145 
females over the males ; the adult females appear to have been 
* Of these four snakes that which is by far the largest — doubtless 
because of its relative scarcity — causes by far the smallest number of 
deaths. 
