EXPERIMENTS, &c, 
SECTION I. 
Experiments on the Poison of the Gecli Paragoodoo, JVo. I, 
Experiment I. August, 1788.-A snake of this species was received from Bimblipatam, after a journey of 
seven hours, in so languid a state, that it was with much difficulty he was made to bite a chicken on the breast: 
a little speck of blood was visible on the skin, but without any mark of the fangs having acted ; so that I ima¬ 
gined the bird had not been injured : within twenty-five minutes, however, it began to droop; and in a few 
minutes more, growing rapidly worse, it expired, without any considerable convulsion, in about forty minutes 
from the bite. 
Experiment II.-At the distance of five days, the same snake was found in high vigour, and beauty ; 
having in that interval changed his skin. A chicken, bitten by him in the pinion, was soon seemingly seized with 
stupor, though it still continued to walk, or to remain motionless on its legs. In ten minutes, it was unable to 
stand ; and within the quarter of the hour, lay along the ground as if asleep. In twenty minutes, it made seve¬ 
ral vain efforts with its wings to raise itself from the ground ; and these were frequently repeated, in the 
course of four or five minutes, reclining its head now on one side, now on the other. Soon after this, it was 
slightly convulsed, and at the expiration of the half hour, it died. 
The wounded part was not discoloured, but the comb, and sides of the mouth, became of a dark red, and the 
beak, and some of the toes, were livid. 
Experiment III. August 17.-A Gedi Paragoodoo, which had been caught at Casern Cottah the day be¬ 
fore, was made to bite a stout, large, dog, on the thigh, near the groin. The animal held fast for more than 
twenty seconds, but the fangs seemed to have penetrated no deeper than the skin ; there was barely an appear¬ 
ance of blood, and some poison was found about the supposed place of the puncture. 
The dog howled a good deal, when wounded ; but, on being set at liberty, walked about without any symp¬ 
toms of poison. In ten minutes, he urined, and the wounded thigh was a little drawn up, hut he still continued 
on his legs. In a quarter of an hour, he couched and howled ; the motion of the thigh was visibly more impaired, 
though he was still able to raise himself. In twenty-five minutes, being forced to rise, both hind legs were ob¬ 
served to be paralytic. 
In the course of the second hour, he grew manifestly more disordered ; he did not howl much, but vomited 
more than once ; became more torpid, and lay along on one side, panting. At the end of the second hour, he 
died, having scarcely suffered any convulsions. 
I examined the part bitten, four hours after death, and found it hardly swelled, or discoloured : a circum¬ 
stance different from what usually is observed in the bites of other venomous snakes. 
Experiment IV.-A slender bitch was bitten, near the groin. It was fifteen minutes before any signs of 
being infected appeared in the limbs, and then they were very slight. In fifty minutes she lay down on her side, 
visibly more disordered ; and, being forced to rise, at the end of the hour, both legs were become paralytic, but 
the bitten thigh in a greater degree than the other : she immediately lay down again, and vomited a little ; 
convulsions soon followed, which continued, more severe than in the former case, till her death ; that is, till one 
hour ten minutes after the bite. 
