968 THE OSTEOLOGY AND MYOLOGY OF THE DEATH ADDER, 



The capsule of the gland is continued into special bands of 

 fascia, which form ligaments for its support. The best marked of 

 these bands is the anterior, which springs from the fore part of 

 the inner surface of the gland capsule, and is inserted on the post- 

 orbital bone, and on the orbital portion of the lateral plate of 

 the parietal. Immediately behind this, the fascia which lies on 

 the internal pterygoid muscle fuses with the fascia of the capsule 

 along portion of its inner surface. Posteriorly and internally 

 there is a well-marked band continued down from the capsule to 

 the symphysis of the lips; here to be connected with the foremost 

 fibres of the retractor oris muscle. 



The capsule may be stripped off the gland with a little dissec- 

 tion, and we then come on an internal capsule, which is intimately 

 connected with the proper substance of the gland. 



The duct of the venom gland springs from its anterior extremity, 

 and bending forward and outward runs in a groove on the lateral 

 face of the maxillary bone until it reaches its anterior margin, 

 around which it bends to end in a papilla, which is in relation to 

 the small lacuna in the groove upon the anterior surface of the 

 fang. There is no sigmoid curve in the duct, as there is in many 

 vipers. The minute structure of the venom gland has been 

 examined by Emery (No. 6), and presents nothing remarkable. 



Mitchell (No. 18) has described an enlargement in the duct of 

 the venom gland of Crotalus, which he considers to be a sphincter 

 muscle. He says, " the elements [of the enlargement] are un- 

 doubtedly the characteristic cells of non-striated muscular tissue. 

 Their presence together with the form and position of the enlarge- 

 ment restraining the wasteful flow of the secretion." 



There is no enlargement in the duct of Aca7itho2yhis, or any of 

 the other forms examined, but we are not prepared to say whether 

 any muscular fibres are present. We should think that such an 

 arrangement would be likely to occur in all venomous snakes. 



The Lachrymal Gland. 

 The lachrymal gland is a small oval body lying on the posterior 

 and on the internal surface of the orbit. It is hidden from view by 



