Biological Papers. 313 



seemed to have no bottom for the first snake, we placed snake No. 

 2 in the buggy and drove to the ranch. 



Ninther snake used its rattle or showed any signs of fight. Next 

 morning, at the breakfast table, Doctor Jones and Mr, Steinberger 

 expressed a desire to see and examine the poison-glands of the 

 snake, After breakfast we went to the tool-house and machine- 

 shop, where we spread the snake out on a board and began our 

 dissections. The skin was carefully removed from the snake's head. 

 The fangs, the muscles by which they were controlled, as well as 

 the peculiar action and mechanism of the jaws, were examined. 

 By removing some of the muscles the poison-glands were laid bare. 

 Much to our surprise there was not a drop or even a trace of poison 

 in them. They were empty and shrunken, at least as compared 

 with the glands of other rattlesnakes which the writer has examined 

 after the poison had been removed. The complete absence of 

 poison in the glands naturally gave rise to some speculation and 

 discussion. The snake, judging from the normal condition of its 

 body organs and the amount of fat it had stored up, must have 

 been in a healthy condition. It was killed almost instantly and 

 had no chance to get rid of the poison by biting any object. Even 

 though it had bitten some object, it is hardly possible that it could 

 have ejected all the poisons from the glands. 



About the only reasonable idea that suggested itself was that 

 during the winter season, at least in cold climates, where snakes 

 hibernate, the rattlesnake and perhaps other poisonous snakes do 

 not have venom in the poison-glands. The idea of an organ being 

 developed for some special use and then being dispensed with is in 

 harmony with many things that occur in nature. I had hoped to 

 get some live specimens of rattlesnakes and fix a place for them to 

 go into winter quarters and at the proper time dig them up and 

 make further investigations before presenting a paper upon this 

 subject. 



However, rattlesnakes are not very common, except perhaps in 

 a few unfrequented localities, and persons who are willing to catch 

 live rattlesnakes for the moderate sum of two dollars each, and keep 

 them until a naturalist can get hold of them, are also not very 

 common. 



