94 Notices of Books, [January, 
“ another replaces a congener, the two being rarely found to- 
gether.” Thus the formidable snakes would be reduced to three 
— the cobra, the bungarus, and the daboia. Nineteen out of 
every twenty accidents are due to the cobra. Some other 
species are mentioned which, although venomous, “ are not 
dangerous to man.” Under “ Error XVI. — There is some gene- 
ral antidote against snake-poison ,” the author remarks, truly 
enough, that “ all experiments in this direction have met with 
utter failure.” But he adds — u If successful they would be of 
little or no practical use, and they keep up an unhealthy excite- 
ment, detrimental to the interest of Science.” These assertions 
are to us utterly unintelligible. The discovery of an antidote 
seems to us certain to be useful ; nor do we see how the interests 
of Science can suffer from any properly conducted experimental 
research. As to “ Error XVII. — Some animals are either proof 
against snake-poison or know of vegetable antidotes against it,” 
it is well known that the ichneumon and the secretary-hawk, in 
their combats with the “ thanatophidia,” depend for success not 
on any immunity from the effects of snake-poison, but on their 
dexterity in evading the deadly bite. But what of the hedge- 
hog ? We do not know that it has ever been inoculated with 
the venom of the cobra ; but, independently of the authority of 
Dr. Lenz, we can from our own observation testify that it is ab- 
solutely unaffeCted by the poison of the viper, which in Central 
and Southern Europe proves fatal to about 20 per cent of the 
human beings bitten. The annual loss of life due to venomous 
serpents, Mr. Nicholson thinks, “ when reduced to sober death- 
rates is really of trifling amount ; it is on the average about one 
death in 15,000 inhabitants.” Now one death per 15,000 inha- 
bitants would amount in London to 200 fatalities yearly, and in 
the United Kingdom to 2000! Suppose so many persons came 
yearly in our midst to a violent and untimely death from one 
cause, should we call the amount “ trifling ” ? Should we not 
demand that every conceivable means should be used for the 
diminution of the evil ? Mr. Nicholson has certainly done 
good service in exposing certain grave errors in the natural 
history of serpents, but his practical conclusions are, in our 
opinion, no less to be deprecated than the superstitions he is 
denouncing. 
Mr. A. E. Nevins contributes a paper on the “ Method of 
Correcting the Rate of a Marine Chronometer for Changes of 
Temperature.” Not being one of those omniscient sages who 
are equally versed in horology, in physics, and in biology, we are 
unfortunately not able to form any opinion as to the value of 
Mr. Nevins’s method. 
The Rev. T. P. Kirkman, known as the author of “ Philosophy 
without Assumptions,” writes on “ The Janal 14-acral 14-edra.” 
We imagine that all except mathematicians will be fully satisfied 
with his title, without enquiring further. 
