74 
THE THANATOPHIDIA OF INDIA. 
“ Gokurrah.” This time the animal was really bitten in two 
places on the thigh. 12.36.—Struggled violently, and lay 
down ; then got up and struggled violently to get loose from 
the cord by which he was secured. 12.38.—Lies down and 
rises again; hurried breathing; is very restless ; tries to run 
about; begins to stagger, and falls ; 12.40 is unable to rise. 
12.42.—Is convulsed. 12.43.—’Lies paralysed, breathing 
deeply; muscular twitcliings. 12.48.—Dead. 
The Pig was bitten at 12.35, and died at 12.48, that is, 
in thirteen minutes. This disposes of the question of the 
immunity of Pigs from the poisonous effects of the venom of 
the Cobra. 
Experiment No. 11. 
A small Tropidonotus quincunciatus (Grass Snake) was bitten 
by the Spectacled Cobra that killed the pig, at 1.12 p.m. 1.16. 
—Very sluggish. 1.20.—Tosses its head about in a convulsive 
manner. 1.25.—Dead ; died in thirteen minutes. 
Experiment No. 12. 
Two innocuous snakes, Dendroplds picia (Tree Snakes), one 
about three feet four inches long, the other rather smaller, both 
long, delicate reptiles, bitten at 1.7 p.m. and 1.8 p.m. by the same 
Cobra that bit the Tropidonotus. 1.12.—Sluggish. 1.15.—The 
small snake dead. 1.16.—The larger one dead. They simply 
seemed to become sluggish and powerless; there were no con¬ 
vulsions, no writhings or contortions. They became powerless 
and died. 
After they appeared quite dead, for a moment or two the 
tail of each moved slightly. 
Large snake bitten at 1.7, died at 1.16. 
Small snake bitten at 1.8, died at 1.15. 
In one case death occurred in nine minutes ; in the other in 
seven minutes. 
The Cobra must have been much exhausted, for it had bitten 
several times before biting these snakes. 
Experiment No. 13. 
At 1.15 p.m. a “ Dh am in” [Tty as mucosus ) was bitten in 
three places by the same Spectacled Cobra that bit several 
other animals. 1.30 p.m. —No apparent effect; the snake is as 
active as ever. 1.32 p.m. —Bitten again by the same Cobra in 
the mouth and body. 1.38.'—No effect. 1.43.—No effect. 
Bitten again in the mouth and body by a Cobra that has been 
in one of the cages and has not bitten for some time. 2.10 p.m. 
—Is sluggish ; when handled does not try to get away, nor 
attempt to strike. It became more and more sluggish, and 
died at 8 p.m. The snake seemed to me gradually to become 
weaker and weaker. No convulsions or contortion of the 
body before death. 
This exqieriment and the two preceding it prove that the 
non-venomous snakes are affected by the Cobra poison. 
The “ Dhamin ” bitten on June 11th by a Cobra did not 
die, and is alive on July 21st. 
Dr. Eayrer and Mr. Sceva of the Indian Museum were 
present at these experiments. 
SIXTH SERIES. 
On the Influence of the Poisons of the Cobra and Daboia, and on 
the value of Strychnia as cm Antidote. 
August 6th, 1868. 
Present, Dr. Fayrer, Dr. F. Stoliczka, and Mr. Y. Ball, 
Curators of the Indian Museum, and Mr. Sceva. 
Experiment No. 1. 
At 12.13 p.m. a Cobra was bitten in two places, about six 
inches from the head, where the scales had been pre¬ 
viously scraped off, and in the mouth, by a very large 
and powerful light-coloured Spectacled Cobra, five feet six 
inches in length. The bitten snake was then put into a 
separate box with a wire gauze front, for observation. There 
could be no doubt in this case that the bites were severe, and 
that the poison was inoculated. At 2.30, when I left, the 
snake seemed to be unaffected. At 9 p.m. Mr. Sceva reports 
that the bitten Cobra does not seem to be much affected. 
2.30 p.m., August 8th, about fifty hours afterwards, this snake 
is apparently unaffected. 
Experiment No. 2. 
A Bungarus fasciatus, nearly full-grown, was bitten by the 
same Cobra at 12.22 p.m., at about eight inches from the 
head. The snake was bitten twice; the Cobra took firm 
hold, and implanted the fangs deeply. At 2.30, when I left, 
there was no change; the Bungarus seemed unaffected. The 
Bungarus died at 7.30 p.m. of the 7tli, about twenty-nine 
hours after being bitten. At 1 p.m. of the 7th he still seemed 
well. 
Experiment No. 3. 
At 12.27 p.m. an innocuous snake, Dendroplds, long and 
delicate, beautifully marked with red spots along the spine, 
was bitten by the same Cobra, about the middle of the body. 
12.30.—Appears slightly affected and is sluggish. It does 
not try to make its escape so vigorously as it did. 12.53.— 
Sluggish, but apparently very slightly affected. The Cobra 
is ajiparently partially exhausted, as it had been made to bite 
two other snakes in two places, and in this forced biting much 
of the poison is lost. 12.54.—Bitten again, near the same 
spot, by a fresh and large black Cobra. It soon became very 
sluggish, but made no convulsive movements. It simply 
seemed to become paralysed, and was dead at 1.8 p.m. Death 
occurred in fourteen minutes after the second bite, in forty-one 
minutes after the first bite. The effect of the poison on the 
harmless snakes seems, from this experiment, to be compara¬ 
tively feeble and slow. The bitten snake was small and 
delicate, the Cobra was fresh and very powerful, and at least 
five and a half feet long. 
Experiment No. 4. 
A Dryiophis (Green Tree Snake), about three and a half feet 
long, was bitten by the first-mentioned large, light-coloured 
Cobra, in the middle of its body, at 12.28 p.m. 12.52.— 
Slightly affected, rather sluggish; but it is combative, and 
attacks if approached. At 12.55 it was bitten again by the 
large black Cobra mentioned in Experiment No. 3. It rapidly 
became affected. Became very apathetic and sluggish. At 
1.3 p.m. apparently nearly dead. At 1.4 dead. 
This experiment, like No. 3, shows the effect of the Cobra 
poison on the innocuous snake. The Dryiophis died in nine 
minutes after the second bite, in thirty-six minutes after the 
first bite. The first Cobra w’as evidently exhausted. The 
second was fresh and vigorous, having only once bitten the 
Dendroplds. I believe that had it bitten a warm-blooded 
animal of about the same strength as the Dendroplds, death 
would have occurred more quickly. The Dryiophis was twice 
the size of the Dendroplds, and although it was bitten after it, 
died in a much shorter time. It was either more susceptible 
or more deeply bitten. 
Experiment No. 5. 
A Pariah Dog was bitten in the thigh by a large and fresh 
black Cobra at 12.37 p.m. Immediately afterwards about twenty 
drops of a solution of strychnia (of the strength of one grain to 
a drachm), equal to one-tliird of a grain, were injected with a 
hypodermic syringe into the same thigh. 12.39.—Tetanic 
