THE GLOTTIS. 131 



the duck from its folds where it had been held, and as you 

 see horses toss up their heads to get the grain in the bag 

 hung on their noses, and I saw the tube-like object still 

 more plainly. Then, with a strange, awe-struck feeling, 

 came a conviction that this could be nothing less than the 

 poor snake's windpipe, and that something must be very 

 wrong with it. 



I beckoned to the keeper, and pointed to it, telling him, 

 ' I do think that must be its windpipe. Is it hurt } ' 



The keeper said, ' No, the snake was not hurt. That he 

 had often seen it like that when the snakes were feeding ; 

 and that he also thought it must be the windpipe, to enable 

 the snake to breathe while feeding.' 



Next day, with eager steps and excited curiosity, I hurried 

 to the British Museum reading-room, thinking I had made 

 a wonderful discovery, for I had never heard this strange 

 phenomenon alluded to, and the keeper evidently knew very 

 little about it. 



With this great secret on my mind, I flew to the well- 

 known shelves, to secure those books which would certainly 

 enlighten me if information were to be had. Alas ! for my 

 wonderful discovery, though it really had been a portion of 

 the windpipe which was thus extended from the mouth, it 

 was what had been known long ago by those physiologists 

 who had studied the anatomy of the ophidia, and it was as 

 coolly described as if it were the commonest occurrence in 

 the world for creatures to do what they pleased with their 

 windpipe ! 



Says Professor Owen in his Anatomy of the Vertebrates, 

 vol. 1. p. 525 : 'The glottis of serpents can be drawn forward 



