VENOMOUS SNAKES, 117 
1an 20 species regarded as venomous—these, no doubt, belon 
take ana Sreeded family, Croatlide, or rattle snakes. Such being 
the facts, does it not seem strange that cases of snakebite are notmore 
frequeatly heard of in this continent? From an official return, it 
appears that during 1891, no less than 796 persons died from snake- 
bite in the Punjab, India; and according to the statistics of the 
British Government more than 21,000 persons succumb annually in 
India trom the bites of reptiles. The governments of Australia 
keep no official record of deaths from this cause, but newspapers 
are so widely circulated throughout the colonies, that no fatalit: 
occurs which is not chronicled. Looking at the paucity of announce- 
ments, it may confidently be concluded. that there are not more 
than 16 or 17 fatal cases annually. ‘The death-rate, however, would 
be startling, if the victims were less prompt, end abewed less 
fortitude, in suffering bleeding and self-mutilation, suc a chPnping 
off a bitten finger, or having one blown off by a gun. r. Mueller 
Victoria) remarks: ‘Our greater immunity is due to our snakes 
cere less poison at a bite, and with their short and (excepting 
those of the death adder) merely grooved poison fangs injecting it very 
i ci 3 ss of elimination of the poison 
superficially, thus making the process ; cine 
by ligature, and incision or excision of the Pe ettee much Here 
easy and successful. It is to this treatment, hee foie ae is 
immediately adopted in the bush, that our sma Ase al y is due, 
Our children are taught it in school, and the most Dae £ ushman 
knows how to carry it out. Where it is omitte py Pp iauernbe 
knowing that they are bitten, until the poison has coe sor ear 
recovery israre.” Australian snakes are not so bepress See ae 
cobra, but utterances in India about the sane Fe a ‘ ea 
venom are mere nonsense. It should also e a nas Rt 
momentary action is the first principle of cure in catti = ne oe 
charmer, ‘bitten three times in rapid succession ie be ; ake 
sna rformance, at Albury, recently, saved herself by the 
dare 1 8 use of ammonia, which she always kept close at 
hand. The mortality is the. highest in cases where the vital force 
es newhat weak ; but robust man himself, bitten in public by a 
FAGrE h olla sed on seyeral occasions ; for it is the deadliest 
tiger snake, ae Coy Martin (Sydney) observes: ‘* Although the 
in ai ees Roi our Australian snakes is so small, the virulence 
yield eee snake compares very favourably with the cobra ; that 
of re “th minimal fatal dose pér pound Weight is considerably 
ee ear reatis for the cobra by the Indian Snake Commission.” 
Pe ae eae e ls f the copper-head snake is the weakest of the 
Perhaps, the iA aches DOE rears havin Gyaece cay te 
quintette ; as ee aiRe late stage, conquered. ‘This reptile too, 
vena Graal diffused as the others, it being chiefly found in 
SO eee te ia stralia and Tasmania. The venom of the tiger 
Sou neta Legare snake, more especially that of Queensland, is 
Paes iff ible and quickly absorbed ; it spreads with rapidit 
SE a fal force over all the motor centres. The virus of the 
ae ay gidons not produce so deep a coma and often none at al], 
a 
g chiefly 
