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intelligent persons who should possess a fuller 
knowledge of snake life than to entertain such 
a foolish error, sincerely believe that this ever 
active darting organ, the tongue, is the snake’s 
deadly “stinger.” Of course you know that 
snakes do not possess a sting. They have 
teeth and the deadly species have poison fangs 
in addition to the teeth; with these they bite, 
but never sting. 
A snake’s tongue is a thread like muscle pos- 
sessing considerable elasticity. It is smooth, 
soft and entirely free from the slimy exuda- 
tions so common to a snake’s mouth. This 
organ lies in the middle of the snake’s lower 
jaw and directly beneath a sheath-like fold 
near the opening of the trachea or wind-pipe. 
About one-third of its full length is secured by 
two knotty muscles, one on each side of it and 
concealed from view by the trachea. The an- 
terior or forward portion is entirely free and 
capable of considerable extension. This active 
part is generally red in color and black-tipped, 
sometimes it is entirely black and it is divided 
from the finely pointed tips to about one-third 
its full length. 
When in action, the snake’s tongue darts 
with lightning swiftness between the closed 
jaws; when at rest it is withdrawn almost its 
full length into the sheath-like fold that holds 
it. The functions of the tongue are simply to 
feel where the snake is going, to taste, I sin- 
