124 STRUCTURE OF THE VIPER. 



An instance of this conformity of the structure of 

 animals with the mode of hfe appointed for them 

 occurred to us last nighty, as we were drinking tea at 

 Mr. Palmer's. A boy having discovered the haunt of 

 a viper near the garden hedge, Mr. Palmer hastened 

 to the spot, destroyed the dangerous intruder, and 

 afterwards brought it into the parlour, in order to show 

 us the curious formation of the jaws and gullet, so 

 admirably adapted for swallowing food much thicker 

 than the usual size of the creature's body. In order 

 to accomplish this purpose, the head of this creature 

 is broad and flat, having a wide mouth, of very uncom- 

 mon and disproportionate size, which allows the jaws 

 to gape to a great extent. But this opening, capaci- 

 ous as it is, would not be capable of receiving the 

 viper's prey, had not its capacity of enlargement been 

 still further increased by the following nice contrivance. 

 The jaws are not united together at the bottom, as in 

 the human mouth, by a sort of joint resembling a pair 

 of hinges, but connected by a strong muscle, which is 

 so elastic as to keep the features firm when not in 

 action, and to allow their being stretched to an immo- 

 derate extent when the size or form of the prey seized 

 by the viper requires it. The gullet, or throat, receives 

 the food from the mouth, and being very large and 

 elastic, easily enlarges or contracts, according to the 

 size and shape of the substance to be swallowed. 

 From hence a part only is at once received into the 



