THE NATURALIST.

Otago Witness, Issue 2511, 30 April 1902, Page 64

THE NATURALIST.

Dangers Risked In the Cause of Science. A bushmastei is the biggest poisonous snake on eaith. Its btte im <eiuuii death within 20 minute*. No antidote is known As this serpent glows to a length of Bft or even 10ft, and its st'ength is (noimoUN and as it can also travel as f.i ; „-, a man can run, it may be imagined h ..v dangerous it R The great naturah-i Wateiton, when in British Guiana, made up hi* mirvl to capture one of these sn.ikts ,ilive As no one could be paid to nKike the attempt, he detei mined to do the «u!a unaided A native brought him news; that a bushmastei made its den in r Luge hollow log iO, £bfi j)int/lft. A-UHed. iiiiU *>nt.hinjr )iJlt

a blanket, a rope, and a bag, Waterton went to the spot, and crawled into the gloomy den head-foremost. It seemed suicide, but the bold adventurer calculated that the snake would be unable to coil in such narrow quarters, and he held the blanket in front of him to meet its rush. Presently a living projectile hurled itself forward, and next moment man and reptile were struggling in the hot and heavy gloom. Waterton's servant stood shaking outside. A moment later, and his master came wriggling out backwards, coils of snake wrapped round his body, but with the creature's head safely enveloped. Another minute, and the monster was safely tied up in the bag. Equally plucky is Dr Lindsay Johnston, whose recent experiments have created so much interest in the scientific world. In the centre of the human eye is what is known as the "yellow spot" — the part of the eye which we use in reading. Itoccurred some time ago to Dr Johnston that it would be interesting to know whether monkeys and other lower creatures possessed this spot. With this idea, he resorted to Jamrach's collection ii> order to investigate. Very soon he found th.it all monkeys did possess the spot, but that it was not alike in each different kind. He became so deeply interested that he went on to examine the eyes of every other animal hecould get at — elephants, bears, lions, and •snakes. As may be imagined, the experiments were dangerous in the extreme. To get good results, it was necessary to sit beside the animal, with a Uunp behind its head, and to use the instrument known as the ophthalmoscope at a distance of half an inch only from the creature's eye. Elephants were chained down ; bears were enclosed in great sack 5 -. With the lions and tigers it was found impossible to use muzzles, as merely touching its whiskers will drive one of the great cnts nearly mad. There was nothing for it in these cases but coaxing and patience. The only precaution observed was to clip their whiskeis. With snakes the ri«k was c* en greater, foi nothing is more difficult than to secure a cobra so that it cannot strike. Ho far, however, no accident has occurred.