86 
MISCELLANEOUS EXPERIMENTS 
practice of laying that root bruised, at the doors and windows of bedchambers, and of tying bags of it to the 
posts of the bedstead. 
The following trials were made with three Katuka Rekula Podas : 
One of the snakes, caught only a few days before, being set down in the middle of a room, after hissing for a 
minute or two, proceeded directly to the wall, along which he crept slowly, from time to time raising his 
head, as if to find a hole for escape. Arrived at the corner of the room, and disappointed in an outlet, he 
quietly coiled himself up, and went to sleep. When touched with a stick, he hissed, and could not, without vio¬ 
lence, be dislodged. 
VIII. -Three long sticks being prepared, a bag of bruised garlic was tied to the end of one ; to the end 
of the other, some of the root of the aristolochia indica ; a root in high repute as an antidote : the third stick 
had nothing tied to it. 
This third stick being presented to the snake when moving along, he hissed furiously, and turned aside ; but 
if brought too near, he first snapped at it. The two armed sticks being opposed to him in like manner, pro¬ 
duced the same effect, not apparently in a greater or less degree. 
The unarmed stick, and the other with the aristolochia , when softly slid along the ground, behind the head, 
so as not to be seen by the snake, had no effect; he continued to proceed straight on : but when the bag of 
garlic was produced in the same manner, he seemingly avoided it by turning off* to the contrary side. 
This experiment repeated several times with the same result, seemed to indicate a certain degree of aver¬ 
sion : but when the bag of garlic was held close to the snake coiled up in the corner, and not asleep, it made 
no visible impression ; even when placed exactly in view before him, he did not offer to move more than at the 
approach of the unarmed stick, and snapped at either indifferently, when brought too near. 
The usual movements of the snake when undisturbed, having been remarked in the foregoing experiment, 
some bruised garlic was spread close to the wall along which he usually creeped to the first corner; and between 
that and the next corner a cross barrier of garlic half a foot in length, was placed half way, which the snake by 
turning a little to one side might easily avoid. 
Two snakes being then set loose at the same time, the one soon coiled himself up in the middle of the room ; 
the other set out on his accustomed tour; the garlic strewed in his track proving no impediment. After a short 
rest in the first corner, he set out for the second, and holding a direct course, crossed the barrier opposed to 
him, without hesitation ; and notwithstanding garlic had been laid for his reception in the second corner, he 
coiled himself up very composedly, and went to sleep. 
In a short while, the other snake took exactly the same route ; and, arriving at the second corner, through 
the same intended impediments, coiled himself on the body of his sleeping companion. 
Both being roused, were strewed over with bruised garlic ; but they maintained their station, though at full 
liberty to quit it. 
The recent roots of aristolochia employed in the same way, had no more effect than the garlic. 
This experiment was not made on any of the other venomous serpents. 
IX. -The poisons of all the venomous serpents I have examined, are in colour and consistence very much 
alike, at the moment of emission through the fangs. If they differ somewhat in colour from each other, it is 
not more than the poison of each individual is found occasionally to differ in itself, according to circumstances 
relative to the condition of the animal. 
The poison is somewhat mucilaginous when first emitted, but becomes quickly more so when exposed to 
the air; while its colour from pale-yellowish white, changes to yellowish: and when dry, it resembles a 
yellow flaky resin. This resin, when long kept, grows much darker in colour, and is not easily soluble; 
but when recent, or in the intermediate degrees of hardening, it mixes readily enough with water, or 
with spirits. 
X.-The only poisons I applied to my own tongue were those of the Cobra de Capello and the Katuka 
Rekula Poda. 
