i6 



The injecting 

 of poison. 



Snake-bite. 



Results of 

 Cobra-bite. 



The salivary glands are situated along the 

 jaws and below the teeth, and the saliva is 

 discharged through small openings in the membrane 

 surrounding the teeth. 



The poison glands are merely a development 

 of the salivary glands, and vary in size in the 

 different poisonous snakes. In the genus Ad- 

 eniophis (not found in Ceylon) they extend to 

 one-third of the way down the body, but in most 

 snakes only occupy a small portion of the head. 



The gland is situated below and behind the 

 eye, and is connected with the base of the fang by 

 a small duct. When the snake bites, the fang 

 presses upon the gland, forcing out a drop or two 

 of poison, which, flowing down the duct, enters the 

 canal in the fang and comes out of an oriface near 

 the point of the tooth. 



The effect of, and antidotes for, snake poison 

 is a subject which has been much written about 

 and much discussed, but very little has been 

 discovered about it. 



The symptoms of death from snake bite vary 

 very considerably, and depend on the amount of 

 poison injected, the part where it was injected, 

 the condition of the blood at the time of the 

 injection, the size and general condition of the 

 snake, together with the amount of poison in 

 its glands at the time, and the condition and 

 general behaviour of the person bitten. 



In most cases death from the bite of the 

 common cobra (Naia Tripudians) seems to be 

 almost painless, except for smarting in the member 

 bitten, as convulsions and suffocation seldom take 

 place until after the patient has become unconscious. 



During my absence from Colombo the man in 

 charge of my Serpentarium disobeyed orders, and 

 allowed a coolie to handle one of my tame cobras, 

 which bit him in the hand. My servant at once 



