EXPERIMENTS ON THE POISONS 
5b 
Experiment XII. September, 1788.-A chicken, bitten by a Cobra de Capello, (which had just before 
bit another chicken, where oil of vitriol was applied to the wound,) lay down on one side, as the other had done, 
and stretched out its legs, as if about to expire; but it survived the bite one hour and twenty-four minutes; 
having suffered slight convulsions before death. The chicken to which the vitriol had been applied, expired in 
twenty minutes. 
Experiment XIII.-A chicken bitten on the lower part of the thigh, immediately retired to a corner and 
couched, but was soon discovered to have lost the use of the leg. It remained constantly couched; and, at the 
end of two hours, was found in the agonies of death. 
Experiment XIV.-A Cobra de Capello, (which had been captive more than six weeks, and fed only with 
milk, once in seven days,) bit a pig on the inside of the thigh. For some minutes no effects were visible; the 
animal walked about without any impediment from the wounded thigh. In about ten minutes she couched, and 
appeared disordered, but did not complain. In twenty minutes, she became visibly more disordered, and lay 
down, panting, on one side: in which state she remained about a quarter of an hour ; she was then seized with 
convulsions, and expired within less than an hour after the bite. 
Experiment XV.-Another Cobra was made to bite the thigh of a chicken. The leg was immediately 
drawn up; and in about two minutes, the bird, after purging, couched; in a few minutes more, the wounded 
thigh was perceived to be paralytic. In ten minutes the bird seemed stupified, and slight convulsions super¬ 
vened: soon after which, it laydown on one side; the convulsions became more violent, and continued at 
intervals till its death: twenty-five minutes after the bite. 
Experiment XVI.-A Cobra received from Ganjam, with fangs remarkably short, (the long ones 
having probably been lost, or extracted,) bit a chicken in the usual place; but it was doubtful whether the 
fangs had acted. The bird immediately purged, and soon after couched. After ten minutes, it walked with 
visible difficulty; and for most part of the first hour, remained couched and dozing. 
In the second hour, it grew gradually worse, at times supporting its head by putting the point of the beak 
to the ground; and often laying the side of the head quite down, while the body remained couched as before. 
No convulsive symptoms. 
At the end of the second hour, the chicken lay on its side, as if expiring; the head and parts about the 
throat, were slightly convulsed ; and it died soon after. 
Observations.- Considering it was the first bite of the Cobra, the chicken lingered unusually long; 
it was remarkable also, that it suffered no strong convulsions. 
Experiment XVII. August , 1788.-An attempt was made to make a Cobra de Capello bite a Nooni 
Paragoodoo in the tail, but that being found too small a subject, the belly was bitten, a little above the anus. 
The snake soon lost its former activity, and when put under a glass shed, coiled itself up. In this situation I 
left him ; and on my return after one hour, found him dead: that is, in about an hour and a quarter after 
the bite. 
The part bitten was a little discoloured, and some of the dry poison had formed a kind of coat over it. 
Upon opening the belly, the parts immediately beneath the bite, appeared much inflamed, but I could not 
discover whether the fangs had penetrated into the cavity. 
The lungs seemed much stuffed with blood. 
Experiment XVIII.-A Cobra de Capello received from Ganjam, under the name Satanag , was made 
to bite another remarkably large Cobra, brought from the same place, under the name Coultiah. The poison 
was shed on the place, but no marks of the fangs could be perceived, and the Coultiah remained well as before. 
This experiment was repeated with the like result, though a little blood, as well as poison, was found on the 
part bitten. 
Experiment XIX.-Some days after the last experiment, a Coodum Nagoo was made to bite the Coultiah 
in the belly. Both fangs visibly acted; blood appeared on the wound, but no other consequence followed. A 
Tar Tutta bitten immediately after, in the same part, died within two hours. 
