338 TlMEHRI. 
bitten in an undoubtedly effe6lual manner, before an 
experimental committee, or, at least, before some one of 
undoubted faith who at the same time is familiar with 
the characters of snakes and the general aftion of snake- 
poison, so that the necessary conditions of exa6l inquiry 
may be fulfilled. 
That astonishing exhibitions of the immunity of the 
inoculated have been witnessed by individuals, who 
however educated generally, are really quite unfamiliar 
with snakes, amounts to nothing. To such individuals 
the very terms used in separating the poisonous 
snakes, such as " flat-headed/' " fangs" etc., are, as I 
know, points of confusion, owing to their ignorance of any 
type which may be used as a basis of comparison for the 
comprehension and accurate application of such terms. 
To a very large number of people, the very word snake is 
almost synonymous withpoison ; and, unless they are told 
to the contrary, each kind of snake is to them presumably 
a poisonous snake, especially if it be large. To such, 
some of the most harmless and simple exhibitions, 
especially as regards bites from snakes, would easily 
appear remarkable. Besides this, the coloration and 
markings of poisonous and harmless snakes often 
considerably resemble each other ; and from this cause 
ordinary trifling with harmless snakes is liable to be 
looked upon as remarkable by such people, especially if 
the inoculated operator be equally ignorant or be 
influenced by fraud. The presence of the special kind 
of nerve for handling snakes,even harmless ones, would 
by such be ascribed to the effe6l of inoculation, if the 
person be inoculated, whereas it may be purely a matter 
of temperament — though the belief in one's immunity 
