THE THAN A TO PH TDIA OF INDIA. 
drowsy. 2.30.— Effects of the poison are manifest; wings 
drooping. It crouches, resting the point of the beak on the 
ground. 3. —Crouching on the ground; body inclined to one 
side. One leg partly extended, with wing extended over it. 
3.30.—Lying down, with wings partially extended; a small 
quantity of liquid running from the beak. Head lying on the 
ground; nearly insensible. 3.56.—Dead. 
Experiment No. 22. 
About twenty-five drops of blood, taken from the .heart of 
the Fowl of Experiment No. 21, were injected into the thigh of 
a half-grown Chicken at 3.56 p.m. At 7.15 p.m. no change, 
except slight lameness from the puncture in the leg. 
September 29th.—No change; no symptom of being affected 
by the poison. 
September 30th, 2 p.m. —Chicken remains unaffected. 
October 2nd.—Chicken well. 
After September 29th the Chicken did not seem to be affected 
in any way by the injection until October 5th, when it ap¬ 
peared weak, and passed the latter part of the day with its 
head partly under its wing. It had eaten heartily during the 
time since September 29th, and appeared as lively as the other 
chickens that were kept in the room with it. It died on the 
following day, October 6th, and on examining the body it was 
found to be greatly emaciated. No trace of any other injury 
or disease, except the poisoning of the blood, could be 
discovered. 
September 29 tl. 
Experiment No. 23. 
An Ophiophayus claps, about eight feet long, that had been 
deprived of its fangs by the snake-men, was made to shed its 
poison by squeezing the jaws; a drop or two of clear, yellow, 
viscid fluid exuded. This, diluted with water, was inoculated 
into a Fowl’s thigh, a puncture was first made with a lancet, 
and the poison was introduced with an ordinary quill pen. 
For the first two or three minutes no apparent effect was 
produced: the bird ivalked about as usual. It then began to 
look uncomfortable; stood still; seemed dazed; sat down 
and soon crouched itself together; began to droop, to nod 
its head and rest its beak on the ground. This state of 
drowsiness gradually increased; it seemed to be profoundly 
sleepy, attempting to rouse itself with a start, and falling 
off again into a profound state of narcotism. At 1.2.30 it 
was almost unconscious, and could not rise on its legs; 
when roused, opened its eyes, made an attempt to raise the 
head, which fell over again. Its condition seemed to be in all 
respects one of profound narcotism. 12.37.—A few convulsive 
movements only indicate life. 12.40.—Still a few convulsive 
movements and stretching of the neck. 12.46.—Dead. The 
wound much discoloured and ecehymosed ; emphysema of the 
areolar tissue about it. The blood clotted firmly after death. 
At 1.40 p.m. some of the blood (half a syringeful, fifteen drops) 
was injected into the thigh of another Fowl. 
September 30th, 2 p.m. —More than twenty-four hours, and 
the Fowl is not affected; eats heartily ; looks bright and active. 
The quantity of blood injected was very small. 
October 2nd.—Quite well. 
This, imperfect as it was, was the first opportunity I had 
of experimenting with the poison of this snake ; it is rare, and 
the snake-catchers had not been able to procure me a fresh 
and wild specimen. The snake experimented with had been 
for some time in the hands of the snake-catcher. The man 
who brought it had borrowed it from a friend, and he was un¬ 
able to say how long it had been in captivity, or where it had 
been caught. I may remind the reader that the Oplioptliagus 
elaps is the largest kind of poisonous colubrine snake, and a very 
formidable and terrible creature it is. In general form it re¬ 
sembles the Cobra, having the head and hood similarly shaped. 
Its fangs are like those of the Cobra, and its venom is said to 
be equally deadly in proportion to its size. It is very active 
and aggressive, has great power of turning itself in a short 
space on its own body, and when about to attack, assumes the 
same erect and menacing attitude as the Cobra. 
In colour it differs from the Cobra, being of an olive-green 
and marked with triangular bars of white edged with black, 
which are very conspicuous on the hood and tail. The hood is 
proportionately not so large as in the Cobra, and there are 
other differences which I need not repeat here. It attains to a 
great size, twelve feet or even more, and is therefore probably 
one of the largest (if not the largest) poisonous snakes known. 
There is only one species of the genus, which has received its 
name from its habit of feeding on other snakes. 
October Und, 1868. 
Experiment No. 24. 
Present, Dr. Fayrer and Mr. Sceva. 
The Ophiophayus elaps, mentioned in Experiment No. 23, 
September 29tli, that had been deprived of its fangs, was 
made to shed its poison by squeezing the poison glands ; a 
drop or two only could be obtained, so much having been 
secreted in four days. It had the same appearance as on 
the first occasion. This, diluted with an equal quantity of 
water, was injected with the hypodermic syringe into a Fowl’s 
thigh at 12.30 a.m. The Fowl was not immediately affected, 
and being carelessly placed near an open door, it made its 
escape into a drain, in which, as it did not emerge, I presume 
it died. The opportunity of watching the effects of the poison 
was lost; but the experiment is interesting, as it shows that 
the poison is secreted, although the poison fangs are removed, 
and it shows the rate at which it was secreted, about two drops 
in four days. The snake had not been fed, but on this occasion 
it was fed with a Passerita mycterizans (a Green Whip-snake), 
that was poisoned by a Cobra, vide Experiment No. 25. The 
snake-man put the head of the dead snake into the Ophiophayus’ 
mouth ; it seemed delighted to have it, and proceeded to swallow 
it forthwith, gradually drawing it into its gullet by alternate 
lateral movements of the lower maxillary bones. The process 
of swallowing occupied about five minutes, during which the 
Ophiophayus moved slowly about with the anterior part of his 
body raised and his hood distended, the Passerita hanging out 
of its mouth. The last few inches of the tail were swallowed 
more slowly than the rest. 
A second Passerita being offered shortly after, was declined, 
and its head ejected from its mouth. 
Experiment No. 25. 
A Green Whip-snake, more than three feet long ( Passerita 
mycterizans'), was bitten by a Cobra about ten inches from 
the head, at 12.37 a.m. At 12.38, sluggish; moves less ac¬ 
tively ; gapes, keeping the mouth wide open. 12.39.—Almost 
paralysed; mouth now closed; head lying on the side. The 
body is swollen where bitten. 12.40.—Dead. Death was very 
rapid ; a peculiarly active and vigorous though innocuous 
snake killed in two minutes by the poison of the Cobra. 
Experiment No. 26. 
At 12.48 p.m. a Cobra bit a Cobra in three places near the 
head. They were both vigorous, fresh, and full-grown. 
1.10 p.m. — Appears rather sluggish. At 1.11 this bitten 
Cobra bit a Fowl in the thigh; it died in four minutes.* I 
should note that it had been partially exhausted by biting the 
* Vide Experiment Bo. 30. 
