THE ADDER, OR VIPER 



553 



supplied at the articulation of the quad- 

 rate and squamosal, and the hinge of the 

 maxilla. 



I have already advanced the opinion 

 that the full dose of venom is only dis- 

 charged in cases of emergency. \Mien 

 an Adder strikes at man, or at some 

 comparatively gigantic animal such as a 

 hound or a sheep, his intention is probably 

 to inflict the utmost possible harm in the 

 shortest possible time. I\Iany chances 

 ma3', however, intervene to prevent the 

 venom taking full effect. Hair or clothing 

 may impede the force of the blow. The 

 Adder may miss altogether, or may only 

 get one fang home. Supernumerary fangs 

 are often found in an Adder's jaw. and their 

 object is held to be the quick replacement 

 of a fang which has been accidental!}' 

 broken. In se\'eral Adder bites which 

 I have examined the separation between 

 the punctures has been smaller than any 

 possible separation between the fangs, 

 and, making due allowance for the possi- 

 bility of a second bite with the same fang. 

 I incline to the opinion that there are, 

 not infrequently, two working fangs on 

 each side of the jaw, parallel to each 

 other, and at a distance of about a milli- 

 metre apart. 



It is generally agreed that when there 

 is no question of securing food venomous 

 snakes bite only in self-defence. Were 

 Adders less protectively coloured we 

 should hear of fewer accidents in this 

 country, since the provocation to Adders, 

 so far as human beings are concerned, is, 

 as a rule, purely accidental. A child 

 may be scrambling up a bank and put his 

 hand on an Adder. Before he knows 

 what he has touched he is bitten. A man 

 may be fond of Adders, and expert in 

 handling them. I ha\'e known one such 

 desperate character, \\"ho could usually 

 produce an Adder from his pocket in the 

 warm months, and who, on chilly days, 

 would frequently carry one between his 

 vest and his skin, explaining that it 

 liked the warmth ! Sooner or later he 

 wiU sit on one of his proteges, and then 

 he, too, will be bitten. Yet Adders wiU 

 submit to amazing provocation. A few 

 years back the \'illage boys used often to 

 bring them to me, sometimes tied up in a 

 handkerchief, sometimes clasped between 

 two chubby hands (" 'E do wriggle, 



master ! "), sometimes swung by the tail. 

 I rememl)er how one triumphal procession 

 made my blood run cold. A sturdy six- 

 year-old held the Adder at arm's length, 

 and strutted like a drum-major at the 



(1) and (2) FRONT AND SIDE VIEWS OF AN 



adder's poison fang ( X 5). 



In (1) the orifice connected with the duct from the poison 

 gland can be seen at the top of the fang, and the 

 smaller orifice through which the poison is ejected 

 close to the tip. The formation of a tubular fang by 

 the coalescence of two lips of a grooved fang can also 

 be traced. 



(3) PARTIAL DISSECTION OF AN ADDER'S HEAD 

 (magnified). The upper portion of the skin and muscles 

 have been removed, showing the position of the poison 

 gland G and the duct leading from it to the front of 

 the fang. In the lower jaw the forked tongue T can be 

 seen, and immediately behind it and overlapping it the 

 opening of the windpipe W. In the upper jaw the 

 position of the pterygoid teeth P well inside the fangs 

 can be traced. 



head of his companions to the chorus of 

 the then popular ditty " He can't get at 

 'em." As he approached me he held the 

 brute on high, so that its ugly face almost 

 brushed his own ; the other faces clustered 

 round and — I was glad when I had that 

 Adder safely caged. 



Yet it is doubtful whether the Adder 

 could have struck in this position. So 



