The Savannah morning news., 1901-07-31
vENoMoUs SEA SNAKES.
No Doubt of Their Existence in the
Tropics.

Tropics.
From the London Leisure Hour.
Venomous sea snakes must not be
COMPOUNDED with the very numerous
species of sea cells which. though ex-
ceedingly savage, and armed with
strong needle pointed teeth. are all
non venomous, though their bite pro-
duces high Inflammation If not at once
properly attended to and cleansed by
an antiseptic. The sea snake is a true
snake in many respects, having either
Eliminated scales or a thick corduroy
ed skin, resembling rudimentary scales;
the head is HAT and the general struc-
ture of the body similar to that of the
land snake. Whether any of them pos
sess the true poison glands and fangs
do not know. for although l have
killed many hundreds of them, / never
took sufficient interest to make a care
full examination, and / was told by a
Dutch medical gentleman, long resi-
dent on the coast of Dutch New Gull
nea, and who had made much investi-
cation on the subject that he had fail
ed to discover any poisoned sacs or
glands In any one of the many snakes
he had captured Yet in some in
stances he found what at first appear
ed to be the two long front teeth COM
mon to venomous land snakes, but on
detailed examination these always
proved TO be perfectly solid; neverthe-
less. bite from one of these sea SER
pents was generally regarded by the
natives as fatal.
Fatal bites.
In my own experience know of two
such cases, one at the Island of Fo-
tuna. in the South Pacific, and the
other in Torres Straits. In Sigavi har-
Dor, on Fotuna, there is a rock to
which vessels occasionally make fast
their stern moorings. In the boat
which / sent way with line to this
rock were several boys. natives of the
island. who went with the crew for
amusement. One of them, aged about
hurry fell on his hands and knees,
right on the top of large black and
white banded sea snake, which at
once bit him savagely on the wrist,
causing the blood to flow from a score
of tiny punctures. The boy at once
swan on shore to be treated by a ma
tive. In the evening l heard he was
suffering great agony; in the morning
the poor little fellow was dead. The
second instance was near Raine Island,
in Torres Straits. A stalwart young
hdDdkd, one Oh the CIcW VI a. pCdl
lugger, was diving for clam shells on
the reef, when a snake, about three
feet in length, suddenly shot up from
below within a foot of his face. In his
anger and disgust he unthinkingly
struck 1t with his hand, and was quick
ly bitten on the foreflnger. A few
hours later he was in a high fever, ac-
companied with twitchings of the ex-
tremities; then tetanus ensued, follow
ed by death in forty-eight hours.
Although these sea snakes are COM
mon to most tropical seas. they are
most frequent about the Great Bar
rier Reef of Australia. On any smooth
day they may be seen disporting them
selves on the surface, or, rising sud
denly from the depths, erect their
heads and some inches of their bodies
clear from the water, gaze at the pass
ing vessel and then swiftly disappear.
In nearly all of the Pacific islands the
natives hold them in detestation and
horror, and when one is seen lying coll
ed up on a rock summing itself, or
crawling over the surface of the reef
in search of food. A stone. accompanied
by a curse, Is always hurled at It..
In the Ellice group, when catching fly
ing fish ut night, one (or more) of these
horrid serpents is sometimes swept up
In the scoop net, before IL caube avoid :
ed. They range from six inches to
nearly four feet in length, and have
one feature in common--a blunted tail
end.