Various opinions are entertained respecting the reptile that inflicted the
fatal sting on Cleopatra. According to Pliny, it had hollow fangs, which
distilled the venom in the same manner as the tail of the scorpion. Aelian
states it to have been a snake that moves slowly, covered with scales of a
reddish colour, his head crowned by callous protuberances, his neck
becoming swollen and inflated when he sheds his poisonous secretion. Other
naturalists affirm that the scales are shining, and the eyes of a dazzling
brightness; while some authorities maintain that the reptile's hue is of a
dark brown colour, and that, like the chameleon, it can assume the colour
of the ground on which it drags its writhing form. However, later
observers have now clearly ascertained that the aspic of the ancients is
the _coluber haje_, called by the Arabs _nascher_, and classed by Lacepede
as the Egyptian viper. Lucan seems to have described this serpent in the
following lines:
Hic, quae prima caput movit de pulvere tabes
Aspida somniferum tumida cervice levarit.
According to Hasselquist, the aspic's head is raised in a protuberance on
both sides behind the eyes; the scales which cover the back are small, of
a dirty white colour, and speckled with reddish spots. The lower surface
of the reptile is striated with one hundred and eighteen small parallel
zones, and forty-four smaller ones are under the tail. The teeth resemble
in their structure those of other vipers; and, when the animal is
irritated, its neck and throat are swelled up to the size of the body.
Authors vary in regard to its length. Hasselquist, from whom we have
derived the above description, says that it is a short reptile; while
Savary assures us that it sometimes measures six feet.
The ancients stated that the poison of the aspic did not occasion any
pain, but that the person it had stung gradually sunk into a calm and
languid state, which was followed by a sound sleep, the forerunner of
dissolution. Modern travellers assure us, on the contrary, that this venom
is most active; and Hasselquist has observed an aspic in Cyprus, the bite
of which brought on a rapid mortification, which generally proved fatal in
a very few hours.
In Egypt the viper is still made use of in medicinal preparations; and a
great number of them are sent to Venice for the confection of the
celebrated _Theriaca_. Under Nero, we are told, that these reptiles were
imported into Rome for pharmaceutical purposes.
In the above description, and endeavour to ascertain the nature of the
aspic of the ancients, there must be some error. The _coluber aspis_ of
Linnaeus is not venomous, and we may therefore conclude that the aspic was
of the same species as our viper. The venom of this animal is of a yellow
tinge, and small in quantity, seldom exceeding two grains in weight. In
hot weather it becomes more active in its effects. Time does not seem to
deprive it of its fatal properties; for instances have been known of
persons having pricked their fingers with the pointed fangs of a viper
preserved in spirits, when the most serious accidents have followed. The
dried teeth lose this noxious power. The venom of the viper may be
swallowed without any risk, provided there is not an ulcer in the mouth.
Fontana has made upwards of six thousand experiments to prove the activity
of this substance. A sparrow died under its influence in five minutes, a
pigeon in eight or ten; a cat sometimes did not experience any
inconvenience, a sheep seldom or never; and the horse appears to be proof
against its action.
Some naturalists have affirmed that the female viper, in cases of sudden
alarm, possesses the faculty of securing the safety of her young by
swallowing them and keeping them concealed in her stomach, as the kangaroo
secures her offspring in her pouch. This assertion, although fabulous, was
credited by Sir Thomas Brown, and since by Dr. Shaw. Stories equally
absurd have been circulated of this reptile. The Egyptians considered the
viper as a typification of a bad wife, since they believed that during
their union the female was in the habit of biting off her partner's head.
They also looked upon it as the emblem of undutiful children, from the
idle belief that the viper came into the world by piercing an opening in
its mother's side.