15 



These muscles also move the palatine bones, which 

 are the inner branches of what are known as the 

 pterygoids, the maxillaries forming, in the harmless 

 snakes, the outer branches. 



All snakes bear teeth on the palate, except 

 Oligodon and a few varieties of Earthsnakes. 



A snake's mouth is capable of great expansion, 

 the lower jawbones being joined to each other at 

 the anterior (chin) end by muscles and skin, while 

 at the posterior end they are loosely connected 

 with the skull by quadrates, long-hinged bones 

 which enable the mandibles to be protruded to a 

 great extent. The lower end of the quadrates also 

 hinge with the pterygoids, which themselves branch 

 out into four branches, the two inner ones being 

 the palatine bones, and the outer ones the " maxil- 

 laries." 



The poison fangs of a snake are shed frequently The 

 during its life (very often about the skin-shedding ^^^'^^gf^ 

 period). As the fangs loosen, the teeth behind, placing of 

 which by this time have reached almost their full ^^® ^^"^^• 

 growth, move forward and are used in place of the 

 original fangs, replacing the latter when they fall 

 out. If a snake is killed at this period and a 

 maxillary bone removed it will be found that the 

 front fang can be easily extracted from the bone 

 with the fingers, but that the hinder fang will be 

 firmly welded on. In some snakes, usually old 

 ones, I have counted as many as three fully 

 developed fangs on each side, the front ones being 

 loose and the back one firm. 



Teeth of every stage of development may be 

 found in a snake's mouth, and the ones behind 

 move forward and replace any of the front ones 

 that may have become broken. When, therefore, 

 people talk of a snake's fangs growing again it is 

 incorrect ; they do not grow again, they are 

 replaced. 



