41 
inflicted by their bite. But we will discuss the 
deadly powers of the venomous snakes at some 
future season, at present we will confine our- 
selves to the consideration of our common 
snakes. 
Snakes capture prey much larger round than 
their own bodies, so Nature has made a won- 
derful provision in the formation and the ar- 
rangement of the bones of the head and the 
jaws for a marvelous expansion of the jaws and 
the throat. The bones of the upper jaw are 
but loosely joined by ligaments and the arches 
of the palate are movable. The bones of the 
lower jaw, where they connect with the skull, 
are lengthened out into pedicles. From these 
facts, my dear Fritz, you secure a comprehen- 
sion of the possibility of snakes gorging the 
large objects, that, in the act of deglutition, 
pass through their delicate throats. Carefully 
exainine this skeleton prepared from one of 
my pets and you will then understand how 
truly Nature plans the structure of her crea- 
tures according to their life habits. 
While gorging, or swallowing entire its food, 
the snake’s mouth exudes copious secretions of 
slimy saliva. This greatly aids in the act of 
deglutition or gorging, as it serves as a most 
effectual lubricator. After securing its prey, 
the snake forces the hopeless struggling victim, 
if it be animate food, down into its capacious 
guilet by pushing forward first one side of its 
upper jaw, then the other side moves forward, 
