346 SNAKES. 



house of new fangs,' as Mr. F. Buckland in his facetious style 

 called them ; ' lying one behind another like a row of pandean 

 pipes.' In the skeletons of viperine snakes these may readily 

 be observed. In the living example they are enclosed in a 

 capsule, hidden by the loose gum sheath, called a gingeval 

 envelope. So when the functional fang meets with an 

 accident, or falls out in the order of things, the supplementary 

 fangs in turn supply its place, each becoming in time firmly 

 fixed to the jaw-bone, and ready to perform the office of its 

 predecessor. 



Poison fangs succeed each other from hohmd, forzuards ; 

 the simple teeth from the inner side, outwards. 



Before proceeding further, it may be well to explain that 

 what is meant by the true snakes in the foregoing rules, are 

 those which do not possess the lizard features ; Anguis 

 fragilis^ and some of the burrowing snakes which approach 

 the lizards, not having the palate teeth. But here again we 

 are tripped up with exceptions, since we are told that in 

 dentition the boas are allied to the lizards; yet they have 

 palate teeth. 



The importance of dentition in distinguishing snakes is 

 seen in the names assigned to them from their teeth alone. 

 In giving a few of these terms we enable the reader to 

 perceive at once, not only how very varied are the systems 

 of dentition, but in what way they vary, the words them- 

 selves conveying the description. 



The names here given are without reference to venomous 

 or non-venomous serpents, but only as belonging to certain 

 families whose teeth present characteristics sufficiently 

 marked to be named by them. 



