78 
THE THANATOPHIDIA OF INDIA 
lay down at once, appeared very mucli frightened ; the snake 
also appeared terrified by the Pig, and lay for a moment, as 
though he were seriously injured. The Pig made no attempt 
either to attack the snake or defend himself; he merely tried 
to get out of the way. The snake bit at 11.55 a.m., and as 
the Pig was lying down, the bitten leg was drawn up in a jerk¬ 
ing and convulsive manner. 11.59.—Got up and ran about the 
room ; the bitten limb evidently weak. Lay down again; 
right fore-leg twitching in a convulsive manner ; is generally 
restless. 12.-—Pose and lay down again. The bitten leg 
always convulsed in lying down; places it under its body, as 
though to prevent the involuntary movement; working the 
mouth; making efforts to retch. 12.3.—Eoused up; squealing 
lustily; quite able to walk when roused, but when left to him¬ 
self lies down; eyelids droop, and looks sleepy. 12.5.—Eoused; 
rests himself against the wall. 12.6.—Eesists efforts to rouse 
him. 12.10.—Lying down; bitten leg uneasy, but not so 
much convulsed as at first. When roused he walks ; appears 
to be much weaker. 12 17.—Lying in the corner of the room 
with his left side against the wall. Twitching occasionally in 
the bitten limb. Eyelids closed occasionally. One can now 
see that he has been bitten just above the hoof posteriorly. 
12.25.—Can use the limb; holds it up when he stops; limb 
convulsed at longer intervals. 12.28.—Lies down; some slight 
general uneasiness. Convulsive twitching affected posterior 
extremity. 12.30.—Fore-leg put forward; then convulsion 
more evident. When roused, walks ; holds up the limb as if 
from pain in pressing it on the ground; puts it down when 
pushed. 12.45.—Eoused up. Twitching. Lies down. 1p.m. — 
Unless roused, lies down against the wall. Twitching now in 
right hind-leg. 1.32.—Pig bitten again by a new and fresh 
Cobra in the left thigh and in the snout. 1.35.—Twitching 
in the bitten leg. 1.40.—Gets up when roused; still twitch- 
ino- in hind leg. 2.7.—Good deal of twitching in hind leg; 
twitching in rapid succession ; it sometimes affects correspond¬ 
ing anterior extremity. Twitching also of the facial muscles 
and of the orbiculares palpebrarum. Lying flat on his side 
with his legs stretched out. 2.15.—Eoused him up; great 
loss of nervous and muscular power. When he got up, he 
did so with much difficulty; propped himself up against the 
wall; staggered and fell down. 2.25.—Very lethargic ; cannot 
stand ; when placed on his legs, he falls down ; same debility 
characterizing general muscular system noticed in those muscles 
which affect the organs of speech. Plis squeal is now a mere 
whine. He is anaemic; conjunctive pallid. The right fore-leg 
first bitten is ecchymosed much up to the elbow-joint. Con¬ 
siderable twitching in muscles of the face, showing that the 
poison has affected this part in the same way as it has the 
muscles of the fore and hind-legs. 2.40.—Eespiration catch¬ 
ing ; gasping. Convulsed in the posterior extremities; lips, 
mouth, and conjunctivse pallid; eyes fixed; insensible to light; 
pupils dilated; irides unacted upon by light; almost comatose. 
Bitten first at 11.53. Bitten second time at 1.32 p.m. Died 
2.50, nearly three hours after being first bitten. 
Autopsy. —Blood in sinuses of the brain, as in the whole 
venous system up to the right auricle and ventricle, which were 
distended with blood. Sections of brain, thalamus, and corpus 
striatum and medulla oblongata pallid in the extreme; scarcely 
a vascular point to be seen. Lungs quite collapsed and 
amende; left ventricle and auricle empty. Liver, kidneys, &c., 
healthy. 
Wounds.- —Eight fore-foot bitten at 11.53 a.m., and leg 
greatly ecchymosed; coagulum marks the entry of the fang. 
Tissues discoloured from rapid death (local) and decomposition. 
Eight liind-leg bitten at 1.32 p.m. ; less ecchymosed ; mark of 
fang indicated by a point of coagulum of a dark colour. Bite 
on right ear ecchymosed, and snout, where he was also bitten. 
Blood coagulated in all the veins after being opened for an 
hour; coagulum firm. Microscopical examination of blood 
shows nothing unnatural, excepting perhaps a slowness of the 
red globules to run into masses like piled coin in rouleaux. 
The fact that this Pig was twice severely bitten, and that 
death did not occur for nearly three hours, seems to show that 
the animal is not very susceptible. A large Dog would pro¬ 
bably have died in less than half an hour. 
It is true that tire first Cobra, though a large and powerful 
one, was probably somewhat exhausted, but the second was 
perfectly fresh, and had only that morning been brought in by 
the snake-catcher, freshly caught. 
Experiment No. 4. 
At 12.53 a small “Dhamin” ( Ptyas mucosus) was bitten by 
a fresh Cobra about five feet in length. 12.59.—“Dhamin” 
weak and sluggish in his movements. 1.3.-—Bitten again by 
the same snake. On the floor, moves slowly and with diffi¬ 
culty; growing manifestly weak. 1.12.—Gasping for breath ; 
very low ; voluntary muscular power gone. Still, when roused, 
can move and raise his head, as if he had been roused from a 
state of overpowering nervous oppression. Breathes slowly and 
imperfectly; does not half fill his lungs. Bitten at 12.53. 
Died at 1.14 p.m. Dead in twenty-one minutes. 
This is further proof of the deadly action of the poison on 
innocuous snakes. 
Experiment No. 5. 
At 12.55 p.m. a large Cobra was bitten by a full-grown 
freshly caught Cohra; they were both of one variety, that 
marked with one ocellus in the hood, the “ Keautiah” of the 
snake-catchers. The scales were scraped off, and the snake 
was made to imbed his fangs deeply in two different places 
about ten inches from the head. There could be no doubt of 
the penetration, or of the injection, of a large quantity of 
poison. At 12.59 five drops of Cobra poison, taken from the 
snake, were injected by means of the hypodermic syringe 
into the muscles of the Cobra’s back. 1.30.—No effect pro¬ 
duced; the Cobra is as lively as ever. 1.45.—Still unaffected. 
4.30.—Still unaffected. 
August 18th, 5 p.m. —The snake is as well as ever. 
This experiment goes far to prove the immunity of the Cobra 
from the noxious effects of the poison of its own species. 
Experiment No. 6. 
1.20. p.m. —Civet Cat ( Viverra malaccensis) bitten by a Dahoia. 
The snake struck in more than one place. 1.25.—Appears 
paralysed. 1.26.—Appears almost dead. 1.30.—Still breath¬ 
ing imperfectly ; stretches his legs as if from spasms. 1.32.— 
Got up on his fore-legs and vomited; lying down exhausted. 
1.37.—When roused he seized a stick, but is evidently half 
paralysed in the hind-quarter ; lies down again on left side. 
1.40.—Gets up again when irritated, breathes hurriedty, and 
lies down at once. Evidently very drowsy and much exhausted. 
1.47,—Tries to get up of his own accord; finds he cannot; 
rolls over on other side ; right hind-leg paralysed. Continues 
restless and endeavouring to move, and has again succeeded in 
changing his position. 1.57.—Lying flat on side with all his 
lee's stretched out. Can be roused, but his hinder extremities 
O 
still paralysed, and he does not give fight as before. Is un¬ 
easy and restless. 2.12.—Eoused; walks about much better, 
but his right hind-leg is very weak; quite paralysed. Put 
into his cage; gave much more fight. 2.30.—Seems reviving, 
but he is restless and manifestly uncomfortable ; lying down, 
and at full stretch, on side. 4.15.—Purged freely; very low; 
evidently at the point of death. 4.25.—Convulsive movements 
for two or three minutes; stretching the limbs, &c. 4.36.— 
Dead. Body examined, showed the animal to have been bitten 
