THE THANATOPHTDIA OF INDIA, 
and was probably not very effectively inoculated, as the hypo¬ 
dermic syringe was not used, the poison being inserted into 
the wound with a quill, and yet the bird died in twenty mi¬ 
nutes ; whereas a smaller bird, bitten by a fresh and vigorous 
Bangarus, did not die for one hour and thirty-three minutes. 
July Wth, 1868. 
Experiment No. 4. 
This and the following experiments were made with two full- 
grown living specimens of Daboia russellii. I may remind the 
reader that the Daboia russellii (Bussell's Yiper) is the only 
species of the family Viperidce found in Bengal, where it is 
known as the “ Bora,” and is justly dreaded as a most venomous 
snake. It is found in the Peninsula of Southern India, and 
even in the Himalayas, it is said, at a height of 5500 feet, 
for it has been found at Almorah. It grows as long as fifty 
inches, and is a very powerful and dangerous snake ; it is 
much thicker than the Cobra ; its markings are very beautiful; 
a series of black, white edged, rings, ovate and circular, on a 
greyish-brown ground, white belly with black spots. Its head 
is covered with scales, not shields ; its nostril is very large; 
the head is broad and well defined from the neck, which is not 
extensible like that of the Cobra. 
But the striking difference is in the poison fangs, which are 
very much larger than those of the Cobra. They are recurved, 
erectile, and very moveable ; so much so, that when the snake 
is angry, and about to strike, you can see the fangs erected and 
depressed quickly in a vibratile manner, totally different to the 
more fixed and much smaller fangs of the Cobra and other 
poisonous colubrine snakes.* 
The two brought to me were nearly full-grown, and appa¬ 
rently active and vigorous. The snake-catchers who brought 
them, and who handled Cobras with the greatest ease and 
freedom, from fear would not attempt to seize the Daboia by 
the neck, as they said the risk was too great. The snake did 
not appear at all more active than the Cobra, and, when seized 
by the tail, was not more capable of turning on his captor ; but 
when the head was confined by compressing the neck with a 
stick against the ground, it struggled and made fierce attempts 
to bite, during which, the mouth being open, the gape of 
which is very wide, the erectile and vibratile movements of the 
fangs that I have mentioned became visible. This snake is 
the only species of its genus known in India. 
A Pariah Dog, full-grown, was bitten in the thigh at 4.27 
P.M., by a nearly full-grown, active Daboia. The Dog 
whimpered when the snake’s fangs penetrated. He was 
released, having been field while the snake bit him, and almost 
immediately— i.e., at 4.28, fell over with a convulsive move¬ 
ment ; became paralysed for the moment, and howled violently; 
as he lay on the ground the bladder was emptied. 4.29. —In 
a state of violent tetanic spasm. 4.81. —Lies motionless; eyes 
bright; muscular system generally twitching. 4.35. —Lies 
apparently paralysed, but looks about him. 4.37. —-Attempted 
to get up; staggered a few steps, and lay down again. 4.42. 
—Cannot walk. Lies paralysed; shows no sign of pain. 
4.50. —Much in the same state. 5.35. —Lies paralysed; but 
breathing goes on. Died a few minutes later. 
Thorax opened. Lungs collapsed, not congested; heart 
natural; auricles and ventricles contained fluid blood. 
It is noteworthy that this Dog, after the first violent outcry 
when be fell over, one minute after being bitten, appeared to 
suffer no further pain; indeed, it seemed unconscious of any¬ 
* In reference to the connexion of the poison fangs with the maxillary bones, 
I would note that a second, or even third, supplementary fang may be anchylosed 
with the principal one to the maxillary bone. I have before me the skull of a 
Daboia, for which I am indebted to Mr. Sceva, in which this is the case; and where 
there are five well-developed poison-fangs on each side, of which on one side two 
are anchylosed to the maxillary bone. 
thing. There was no convulsion ; but general paralysis, the 
sphincters included, and gradual sinking from exhaustion. The 
heart’s action continued to the last, and, even after apparent 
death, the rhythmical movements were observed. 
The Dog was bitten at 4.27 p.m., and died at about 5.40; 
nearly one hour and a quarter. 
The first effects on the nervous system seemed much more 
violent than from the Cobra bite, and paralysis seemed to follow 
more quickly, but actual death was longer in taking place. A 
Dog bitten by a Cobra died in about half an hour. The Dog 
bitten by the Daboia died in an hour and a quarter. Possibly 
the Cobra injected a larger quantity of poison than the Daboia ; 
and indeed it struck me that there was not so great an effusion 
of poison from the Daboia as from the Cobra. There may have 
been something in the mode in which the bite was inflicted. 
The Cobra was held by the neck, his mouth almost forcibly 
opened, and his fangs made to imbed themselves in the bitten 
object; whilst, on the other hand, the Daboia was not so held 
or applied, for the snake-man was afraid to seize him by the 
neck, and could only fix him by compressing the neck on the 
ground with a stick, in which position the animal bitten was 
presented to the snake. 
Experiment No. 5. 
A full-grown male Cat was bitten by the same snake, in the 
hind leg, at 4.18 p.m. The Daboia, being secured as before 
described, plunged his fangs, but not deeply, into the limb; 
no immediate paralysis of the limb followed, as from the Cobra 
bite, but the animal was almost immediately affected, and at 
4.22— i.e., in four minutes, was in convulsions, which did not 
last long, nor were attended by any outcry as in the Dog 
bitten by the same snake. The general convulsions soon 
subsided, and were followed by general paralysis, the animal 
lying prone on the ground, with its breathing much accele¬ 
rated, and with spasmodic twitchings of the muscles of the 
trunk and extremities. 4.30.—-Lies perfectly powerless; 
breathing rapid; frothing at the mouth, and making efforts 
to vomit. Bladder and rectum emptied, voided sanguineous 
mucus. 4.31.—Made an effort to rise; staggered a few paces 
and fell. 4.35.—In the same state ; muscular twitchings con¬ 
tinue ; cannot move. 4.45.—Still alive, and much in the same 
state. 5 p.m. —Still alive; muscular twitchings continue; but 
fainter; breathing hardly perceptible. 5.15.—Quite dead. 
The Cat was bitten at 4.18 p.m., and died at 5.15 p.m. — i.e., 
in fifty-seven minutes. As in the case of the Dog, the in¬ 
fluence of the poison seemed to affect the nerve-centres more 
violently than that of the Cobra jioison. Consciousness was 
probably earlier annihilated, but total death occurred later. 
I examined the appearances after death, and found that, at 
5.45 p.m., or in half an hour, the blood had not coagulated. 
The lungs were not in the least congested; there were no 
clots in any of the cardiac cavities. Blood taken from the 
right auricle was dark and fluid, but speedily reddened on ex¬ 
posure to the air. Examined later, the power of coagulation 
appeared to have been perfectly destroyed. I took some away 
for microscopical examination, and it remained perfectly fluid. 
I examined the blood most carefully and repeatedly under 
the microscope with one-eighth object-glass and No. 3 eye¬ 
piece, Nachet, and I found the appearances differed very little, 
if at all, from those of ordinary blood. The only thing sug¬ 
gestive of any change in the corpuscles, was that in one or two 
specimens examined there were more granular corpuscles than 
may be considered as the natural relative proportion to the red 
corpuscles; but after the most careful examination, I was 
unable to detect any other change in their form or appearance. 
There was nothing resembling the appearances described by 
Professor Halford. It was observed, though, that there was 
no tendency in the corpuscles to aggregate in rouleaux; the 
