American Poifon called Ticunas. xxv 
curious to know if the cafe was the fame with the American 
poifon. All the writers on the American poifon tell us, that it 
is poifonous to all animals ; but affertions are very different from 
fafts. Many experiments are neceffary to evince this general 
conclufion, and it does not appear that enough have been made 
to warrant it. 
I began by impregnating the mufcles of frogs with the poifon, 
and they died in a little time. I then had recourfe to eels, into 
which I introduced the arrows, towards the lower or tail parts of 
them ; and they all died, though very {lowly. 
I had found that the poifon of the viper is quite innocent 
to the viper itfelf, and to thofe ferpents which in Tufcany are 
called binchi , and by the French, couleuvres. Of thefe laft I 
could procure no more than two ; for which reafon I could 
make but few experiments on them ; but thofe I have made I 
think quite decifive. I wounded one of them towards the tail 
with an arrow well covered with poifon of the thicknefs of fy- 
rup, and left the arrow in the mufcles. I had previoufly made 
an incifion in the place where I introduced the arrow, that the 
diflblved poifon upon the arrow might likewife eafily enter the 
mufcles with the arrow. I alfo applied fome more poifon to the 
fame part by means of fmall incifions in the mufcles. The fer- 
pent did not feem affefted by the poifon ; but for many hours 
was as well as ever. I locked it up in a box, which having 
opened fix hours after, I found that the ferpent was gone, nor 
could I ever find it again. 
1 repeated the experiment many times, at different intervals, 
on another rather fmaller. The laft time 1 introduced two poi- 
foned arrows into the mufcles of the tail, and left them there for 
twenty- four hours. I frequently applied the poifon thickened 
to a fyrup to the wounds, and introduced a great quantity into 
them with a tooth-pick, yet, fo far from dying, the animal was 
not fenfibly hurt. 
I have often made this fame experiment on vipers, without 
any one of them dying by the poifon, although fome were 
wounded in the mufcles towards the tail with many arrows 
well impregnated with poifon thickened to a fyrup. I have 
Vol. LXX. D left 
