8 JOURNAL, BOMB A Y NA TURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol XVI 1 1. 



at once. On the other hand it is not unusual for Russell's viper to bite, 

 and maintain a tenacious grasp for many seconds In the case of 

 a gunner who succumbed to the bite of this snake at Thayetmyo 

 (Burma) in 1862, Nicholson* mentions that it was will) difficulty 

 shaken off. Elliutf mentions a dog bitten by one. dragging the snake 

 many yards before disengaging it, and one might quote many more 

 similar experiences. 



Poison apparatus. — The fangs. — These attain their maximum deve- 

 lopment in this the largest of the Indian vipers. There may be a single 

 one in each maxilla, or two fixed side by side. In a depression at its 

 I. . . >, and on the outer side, as many as 5 or 6 reserve fangs may be 

 seen lying loosely in the mucous membrane, progressively diminishing 

 in size from within outwards. When one of the fixed fangs is shed, 

 the reserve fang best developed, and lying nearest to it, becomes 

 cemented in a few days into the jaw. 



The fang is tubular, being formed by the folding over of two lateral 

 expansions of the tooth, which blend on its anterior face, in the major 

 part of its length. A groove which is feebly discernible, but always 

 present, marks the line of junction of these two expansions. At its 

 base the expansions fail to meet, and the impeifeet Mending is marked 

 by an aperture. The canal terminates near the point of the tooth in a 

 mir.ute opening. 



The fan^s in vipers are very mobile or to spoak more correctly, the 



maxillae are, for the fangs are fixed 

 into these bones. Russell's viper, like 

 other vipers, when it yawns, fre- 

 ^ ^ V quently rocks its maxillae forwards 



A. B. c. and backwards. 



A. Inner asoect of fan:* (life size* the ,~, , m , i -ji 



lever orifice of lhe can .1 is inclia- Glands.— These sacs compared with 



ed slightly inwads. the cobra's are small, and present a 



B Anterior asoect (life size) showing , , ,., .-, 



" ... . corrugated appearance unlike t lie 



seam where the two e Iges have ° ' ' 



hnen welded, smooth retort-shaped glands of the 



C. Tip (enlaced) showing lower orifice ^^ j,,^ obtu { ned U d g 



an! point, closely resembling tip ' 



of hypodermic needle. from the 2 glands of an adult. WallH 



* Ind. Snakes, p. I4t>. 



t Trans Brit, vied Association, S. Ind. br. 189, p. 7. 



X Loc. cit. . p. 88. 



1 Indian Snake Poisons, p. 113. 



