336 TlMEHRI. 
a result of his various slips and falls, he was considerably 
bruised and battered at the finish; and, in his own graphic 
style, he states that u he thanked his God when he found 
himself again in his house on the slope". 
Inoculation against Snake-bite. — Recently this sub- 
je£t has claimed more or less attention in the colony, 
while, to judge by report, it occupies, or 'has occupied, 
quite a foremost place in the neighbouring colony of 
Surinam. That a large number of people may be 
inoculated or "cut" against snake-bite, and that these 
may entertain a lurking or definite belief in the efficacy 
of the process* may certainly be true ; and more than 
this, it may also certainly be the case that persons, so 
" cut", catch and handle snakes with impunity, and 
even in cases have been bitten by various snakes without 
any deleterious result; yet, in admitting all this, nothing 
whatever in support of the efficacy of inoculation against 
snake-bite, is necessarily admitted. From the constitution 
of ordinary human nature, it is not difficult to under- 
stand that many persons who may at any time be exposed 
to the chance of snake-bite, may not only be willing, 
but desirous to protect themselves and their children 
by an inoculation pronounced efficacious againsc snake- 
poison, when the harmlessness of the substance otherwise 
is evidenced by the fa6l that others have been so operated 
upon without harmful result. But, it is scarcely neces- 
sary to remark, this prevalence of the habit is no proof 
whatever of the efficacy of the inoculation. Nor is the 
fa6l any more weighty that persons inoculated have been 
seen to handle various snakes, perhaps even undoubted 
poisonous snakes, when it is borne in mind that snakes as 
