VENOMOUS TEETH. 185 



perforated through their centre from the root to 

 within a line or two of their point, acting as a 

 conductor for the poison : these teeth are extreme- 

 ly sharp and small ; the snakes also have the power 

 of elevating or depressing them. In a large 

 snake they can penetrate the flesh at least a fourth 

 of an inch, and the poison is introduced about the 

 sixth of an inch deep into the flesh of a person 

 bitten : the glands near the eyes, which secrete 

 the poison, have strong muscles attached to, or 

 rather acting on them, which muscles act at the 

 will of the animal, forcing the poison through a 

 cysted conductor into the hollow of the tooth, and 

 through it into the person bitten ; which, in my 

 opinion, clearly shews that any external applica- 

 tion* will have little effect in stopping the pro- 

 gress of the poison. 



The apertures made by the teeth are filled 

 with the venom, which being glutinous, chokes 

 them, and prevents any blood from flowing, so 

 that the person bitten cannot often discover the 

 exact places of their insertion. 



1 By external application should be understood, unaccom- 

 panied with incision or burn. 



