xiii. SNAKES. 191 



touch, and perhaps something more ; for I cannot believe 

 that the constant quivering of the tongue in and out of 

 the mouth is purposeless though what the purpose may 

 be, unless it has some fascinating or mesmeric effect upon 

 a timid victim, I cannot say. 



I may here mention, in passing, the remarkable effect 

 which nicotine, or some essential oil condensed from 

 tobacco smoke, has on snakes. If a drop of the oil from 

 a foul pipe be placed in the mouth of a snake the action 

 is almost instantaneous. The muscles become set in knotted 

 lumps, and the creature becomes rigid. If much is given, 

 the snake dies ; but, if a small amount only is placed in 

 the mouth, the snake may be restored. This, as Mr. 

 Oakley has suggested, may explain the stories of Indian 

 snake-charmers being able to turn a snake into a stick. 

 This feat is performed by spitting into the snake's moutli, 

 and then placing the hand on its head until the reptile 

 becomes stiffened. The effect may be produced by opium 

 or some other narcotic introduced with the saliva. They 

 then rub the snake between their hands, restoring it again 

 to its usual animation. 



To return to the sting of snakes, it is neither in the tail 

 nor the tongue. The death-dealing organs are the great 

 poison-fangs. The fatal wound is a bite and not a sting. 

 And among all the special modifications of snake structure 

 none is more remarkable than the development of the poison- 

 fang. In the harmless snakes there is a longish bone on 

 each side of the upper jaw which may be armed with a 

 dozen teeth or more. But in the vipers this bone is 

 shortened to a wedge which bears only one great fang, 

 though behind it there may be two or three reserve 

 fangs, one of which will rapidly become attached to the 

 bone, should the poison-tooth in use be broken. In al 

 snakes the jaw-bones are but loosely attached to the brain 



