123 
EXPERIMENTS ON THE INFLUENCE OF SNAKE-POISON. 
The experiment with liquor potassse was not satisfactory, as it 
was given much too late. 
Experiment No. 4. 
August 5th.—A full-grown country Goat was bitten by the 
same Krait in one of the teats at 4.30 p.m. At 8 p.m. appears 
tolerably well, but the tail is drooping. 10.12 p.m. —Staggers 
about, or lies on its side ; defecation, micturition, and saliva¬ 
tion. 10.24 p.m. —Convulsed ; pupils dilated, and insensible to 
light; gasping; twitching of the ears; the eyes fixed. I 0.28 
P.M. —Dead—in five hours and fifty-eight minutes. Body 
opened at 11 p.m. The blood, which was fluid when taken 
from the body, was put into three separate glasses. 
No. 1 contained blood only, and this coagulated firmly im¬ 
mediately ; colour bright red. 
No. 2 contained blood and liquor p>otassge ; did not coagu¬ 
late immediately; it became gradually thicker; and for five 
minutes coagulated less firmly than No. 1 ; colour brownish. 
No. 3 contained blood mixed with liquor ammonite; did not 
coagulate until the morning of the 6th, and then not at all 
firmly ; colour dark red. 
I could find no fang marks in the teat, either before or after 
death. The Krait died before the evening, owing to my having 
handled it too roughly in making it bite the Goat. 
TWENTIETH SERIES. 
On the Influence of the Poisons of the Ojjliopliagus, Cobra , 
Bungarus cceruleus, and Betas carinata. 
August 5 lit,, 1870. 
Experiment No. 1. 
Some poison was taken from an Ophioplagus on the 4th, 
yesterday; it had dried into a gum-like paste by noon to-day, 
and was of the usual clear orange-colour. This was diluted 
with water into its natural consistency. 
The snake was sickly and died this morning, so that it is 
probable that the poison was less active than if it had been 
taken from a vigorous snake. A drop of this poison was 
injected with the hypodermic syringe, at 12.27 p.m., into a 
Pigeon’s thigh. 
The bird for the first three or four minutes did not seem to 
be affected, it then began to droop and erect its feathers. 
12.35.—Fell over, cannot stand. 12.36.—Convulsive move¬ 
ments. 12.38.—Appears to be dying. 12.40.—Dead—in 
thirteen minutes. 
Blood coagulated firmly after death. 
Experiment No. 2. 
About one-fourth of a drop of clear transparent poison 
extracted from a Bungarus cceruleus. It was with the greatest 
difficulty that even this small quantity could be collected, 
owing to the smallness of the Krait’s fangs. This was diluted 
with sufficient water to form a good-sized drop, and was injected 
at 12.35 into a Pigeon’s thigh. 
No change for the first three or six minutes. 12.43.— 
Crouching, wings spread out. 12.45.—Convulsed. 12.47._ 
Paralysed completely, occasional convulsions. 12.51.—Dead— 
in sixteen minutes. 
Blood coagulated firmly after death. The quantity of poison 
was extremely small, and even part of that was lost in collect¬ 
ing it; the whole amount must have been considerably less 
than a quarter of a drop, but it proved fatal in sixteen minutes. 
Experiment No. 3. 
Poison taken from a fresh “ Keautiah” (Cobra). Half a drop 
was diluted with water and injected into a Pigeon’s thigh at 
12.39. 12.40.—Staggering. 12.41.—Fallen over. 12.42._ 
Convulsed. 12.43.—Dead—in four minutes. 
Blood coagulated firmly after death. The snake in this ex¬ 
periment was fresh and healthy; poison was shed in consider¬ 
able quantity, but only half a drop was used : it killed in four 
minutes. 
Experiment No. 4. 
A similar quantity of the same Cobra poison diluted with 
four parts of water was injected into a Pigeon’s thigh at 12.47. 
12.49. — Staggering ; head fell over. 12.50. — Convulsed. 
12.51.—Dead—in four minutes. 
Blood coagulated firmly after death. The result was the 
same as in the last experiment. 
Experiment No. 5, 
A drop of the Ophiophagus poison, the same as used in 
Experiment No. 1, was injected into a Pigeon’s thigh at 12.52- 
Not affected for the first few minutes. 12.58. — Staggers and 
is convulsed. 12.59.—Fallen over, convulsed. 1.4.—Gasping. 
1.5.—Dead—in thirteen minutes. 
Blood coagulated firmly after death. 
Experiment No. 6. 
A Pigeon bitten in the thigh by the Krait from which the 
poison was taken for the second experiment, at 12.55. 12.56._ 
Purged, staggers. 12.58.—Crouching, purged. 1 p.m.—C annot 
stand. 1.4.—Gasping; convulsive movements. 1.5.—Dead 
in ten minutes. 
Blood coagulated firmly after death. The snake was ex¬ 
hausted, and hence the comparatively slow action of the poison. 
The object of these experiments on animals of the same size 
and strength, Pigeons, was to test the relative virulence of the 
poison of the Cobra, the Krait, and the Ophioplagus. 
The results are not conclusive, as the conditions were not 
equal. The Opliiaphagus was sickly, and the poison had dried 
up before being used. The Krait was small, and had been 
frequently used lately; the quantity of poison obtained was 
very small. The Cobra was fresh and vigorous. 
The results were :— 
The Cobra killed m ... 4 minutes 
The Ophiophagus in . . . 13 
The Krait in 1 6 
August 8 th, 1870. 
Present, Drs. Fayrer and J. Anderson, Curator of Indian 
Museum. 
I am indebted to Major McMahon, Depiuty Commissioner of 
Delhi, for a very fine specimen of Betas carinata, and three of 
Bungarus cceruleus, which all arrived safely from Delhi. The 
Betas was twenty-two inches and a half in length. One 
Bungarus cceruleus forty-eight inches, and the two others 
twenty-seven inches, one being much larger in girth than the 
other, though of the same length. 
The Betas is a beautiful little viper, and apparently very 
fierce; he hissed* loudly when disturbed, and drew back his 
head in the attitude as if to strike. The fangs are very long 
and moveable, and in general character he closely resembles the 
Baboia russellii, though differently marked and much smaller. 
Major McMahon, speaking of this individual, says: “I 
have never seen one larger than the specimen I now send. They 
have the reputation of being very deadly, and certainly my 
old snake-man died from the bite of one of his specimens.” 
The Betas carinata appears to be common about Delhi. 
Experiment No. 7. 
A full-grown Pariah Dog was bitten in the thigh by the Bcnis 
carinata at 12.30. The snake bit savagely, and imbedded his 
* I subsequently discovered that this sound is not hissing, but is caused bv 
motion of the lateral scales. J 
