BY W. J. McKAY. 971 



and assumed a dark colour and somewhat jelly-like appearance." 

 Our experiments were mostly on fresh muscle, and in all cases 

 the peculiar softening alluded to by Mitchell occurred, and the 

 muscle could be easily broken up into a somewhat granular-like 

 mass. We caunot say that the changes that take place are those 

 of digestion, but the fact remains that the muscle is profoundly 

 altered from a physical point of view ; and if the change is not 

 one of direct digestion, it nevertheless aids that process by the 

 altered condition. 



The most obvious objections to be urged against these views 

 are, that a large quantity of the venom would be necessary, and 

 that such a quantity would endanger the life of the snake. 



We admit that the first objection is a strong one ; with regard 

 to the second, as to the effect of the venom on the snake itself, 

 the results of the various investigators are so contradictory that 

 the objection for the present must remain unanswered. 



The Mechanism of the Bite. 



In considering the various points connected with the bones and 

 muscles in the mechanism of the bite of venomous snakes, we 

 enter upon a field which has been gone over many times ; and yet 

 we think that there is room for new observations. Weir Mitchell 

 has given an excellent account of the mechanism of the bite in 

 his paper on Grotalus ; but he nevertheless has missed several 

 important points; and, in addition, he himself admits that he has 

 not given an account of all the muscles concerned in the various 

 movements ; and lastly, the nomenclature which he has applied to 

 the muscles and bones concerned, is in many instances quite 

 difi'erent to that which we shall adopt. 



We shall consider the bones which take part in the erection 

 of the fangs. 



The prefrontal is hinged to the frontal by a ginglymus joint. 

 This joint is so constructed that the prefrontal may have an up- 

 and-down movement. Owing, however, to the anterior face of 

 the frontal running from within, outwards, and backwards, the 



