366 ' , SNAKES. 



After one of his rattlesnake bites — twenty days after — 

 Dr. Stradling informed me by letter : ' My little durissus 

 is shedding its skin ; but when that is over, I shall certainly 

 examine its mouth. Now that my arm is on the verge of 

 ulceration, I find what I had not noticed before, that each 

 puncture is double — two large ones and a tiny second one, 

 about yV iiich behind each, standing out in black relief 

 against the scarlet skin.' 



Neither of these experimentalists stated positively that 

 the reserve fangs were in connection with the duct, a 

 phenomenon which I believe is still unexplained. Fayrer 

 removed the functional fangs from an EcJus carmata, and 

 observed that there were no others fixed at the time, though 

 there were others loose in the mucous membrane. On the 

 fifth day another pair were anchylosed and ready for 7ise ! 

 As will be presently seen, this little viper of sixteen or 

 eighteen inches (almost too small to recognise near the 

 great python in the frontispiece), displays corresponding 

 vigour both in the potency of its venom and in the renewal 

 of its weapons. 



From the foregoing illustrations of numerous pointed teeth, 

 the question might arise, ' How are they disposed of when 

 the mouth is closed ? and from the narrow space which 

 is apparent in the fiat head of a snake, and the close fit 

 of the jaws, how do the four or six rows meet without 

 interfering with each other ? ' This difficulty is obviated 

 by the teeth not closing one upon the other as ours do. 

 Nor are the palate teeth in the centre, or they would wound 

 the upper part of the trachea and the tongue sheath, which 

 "occupy considerable space. They close down on each side 



