THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. 125 



the venom within it, excels in delicacy and perfection any instrument 

 for inoculation which human ingenuity has as 3'et been able to devise. 

 It consists of moveable fangs or teeth placed one or more on cither 

 side of the mouth beneath the upper jaw. 



They are exceedingly sharp, curved, and move upon a hinge, so 

 that, when in a state of repose, they lie with the point backwards, 

 ahnost covered by the membrane of the mouth. The fang is perfor- 

 ated at its root by a canal which terminates near the ])oint in a groove. 

 It is through this that the venom is ejected so as to be thrown, not 

 upon the surface, but deposited at the bottom of the wound. 



When about to strike, the fangs are raised so as to project directly 

 forward, and the serpent coils himself so that, in the act of straightening, 

 the head is thrust with great force a distance of about half his length. 

 At the moment when the liing is most perfectly projected, the same 

 muscle which elevates it presses also on the sac which contains the 

 venom and ejects it, through the canal of the tooth, with force ; so that, 

 if the object is not attained, it is thrown to a certain distance, and may 

 be seen falling in drops. 



If the object aimed at is attained, as soon as the the teeth are inserted 

 they are turned backward and drawn through the flesh like hooks to 

 lacerate it. Indeed it often happens that the animal bitten, by a sud- 

 den movement draws the serpent after him, or that the fangs them- 

 selves are left in the wound. 



The serpent, too, with the subtle instinct of his nature, as soon as the 

 wound is inflicted, coils himself so as to resist being moved and thus 

 inflicts a severe injury. 



Nature, as if this weapon were indispensable to the species, has pro- 

 vided in the most ample manner for its indefinite reproduction when 

 accid'nitally removed or shed at stated periods. 



There exists at the side of the principal teeth in use, several others 

 in different stages of development, which, in case any are shed or 

 removed, grow and supply their place. 



The gland which forms the venom corresponds to the largest of the 

 salivary glands in man. The duct through which it is discharged is 

 enlarged so as to form a reservoir capable of containing several drops, 

 which may be kept in reserve. 



That the saliva of one class of animals should contain the most con- 

 centrated venom, while that of others is the mildest of fluids, presents 

 a contrast of the strongest character ; but a certain analogy can be 

 traced even in this instance, for in all animals when rabid, the saliva 

 becomes poisonous, and in many, as in men, it sometimes assumes a cer- 

 tain degree of activity which renders it dangerous from the effect of 

 anger alone. 



The venom of" the rattlesnake is a fluid of the consistence and color 

 of olive oil; it has a peculiar and disagreeable odor, and is said to have 

 a pungent taste. 



There is no chemical test by which it is distinguished, nor are any 

 peculiar appearances to be observed in it by the most powerful 

 microscope. 



It may be swallowed without danger. All the venom which could 

 be extracted from several serpents mixed with water and poured into 



