Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 117, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 May 1910 — Immune to Snake Poison. [ARTICLE]

Immune to Snake Poison.

The remarkable combats of the Indian mongoose with venomous snakes, in which it always comes off victor, are well known. The fact that it invariably survives has led to the suggestion that it is immune" to snake poison. Other animals said to be immune are the pig and the hedgehog. With regard to the mongoose, indeed, this immunity has been denied, and if bitten it is said to fall a victim as rapidly as other animals. If this be true, the London Globe says, then it must owe its victories to its wonderful agility in avoiding the bites of the reptile. However this may Tse, some recent experiments of M. G. Ballard show that an animal of the dormouse family must be added to the list of the immune. This animal is known as the lerot and is said to fight fiercely with vipers. Mr. Billard injected large doses of viper's poison into the lerot and found that no ill effects followed. On one occasion, again, one of them was bitten badly on the eye by a viper, and no signs of poisoning followed. There can, then, be no doubt that the lerot is immune to snake poison.