218 PHILOSOPHICAL TKA.VSACilON^. [aNNO 1728. 



ber of glands, some of" which are even visible to the naked eye. In a common 

 viper Mr. R. observed one on each side the fang. These membranes prevent 

 the involuntary discharge of the poison out of the fangs into the mouth, as also 

 the killing with the fangs small animals on which they sometimes feed. Putting 

 back this membrane, the fatal fangs appear, which on first view seemed to be 

 only one on each side, till searching further there appeared 4 more ; the first 

 and largest is fixed in a bone, which is articulated to the fore part of the upper 

 jaw, F, fig. 7- The 4 others are fastened in and covered with strong tendinous 

 membranes, and lie as it were over each other, as b, fig. 8, and ce, fig. g. 



These teeth are crooked and bent in this form j, especially the first, and have 

 each 2 perforations, the one on the upper part, the other at the lower part of 

 its convex side; which last comes quite to the point, and resembles the sloping 

 cut of a pen. The upper perforation a, fig. 10, Mr. R. imagines receives the 

 poison, the other transmits it into the wound, b. All these fangs are tubular, 

 the largest of which contained a small quantity of a transparent fluid, of a light 

 yellowish colour, which, on putting the snake into spirit of wine, changed to a 

 beautiful red. Freeing the mouth of the membrane, a muscle appears, about 

 the size of the first described above, which arises from the middle of the 

 maxillarum dilatores, dd, fig. g, and is inserted on the under side of the largest 

 tooth ; for the force required to pull down the fang being less than to raise it, 

 fewer muscles are required. 



This animal was in Mr. Ranby's custody about a month, during which time 

 he bit 3 dogs and a cat; the first two were bitten at the College of Physicians, 

 and of these the first died about 2 minutes after the bite, and the moment he 

 was bitten he became convulsed, and lost the use of his limbs. The wounds 

 were exceedingly small, and between the pectoral muscles. On opening the 

 dog, the skin and membrana adiposa, for the breadth of a crown, were livid 

 about the wound, as if from a violent blow. The second dog, bitten at the 

 college, had the same symptoms with the first, but lived near a i of an hour, and 

 had bloody stools. Three days after, Mr. R. carried the snake to bite another 

 dog and cat. The dog was larger than either of the two former, and having 

 been bitten at the extremity of the nose, he was immediately affected, howled, 

 shook, fell down and foamed at the mouth; and in about 10 minutes discharged 

 his excrements involuntarily, tinged with blood : he died in about 2 hours. The 

 next day opening the body, the abdominal contents were very much inflamed, 

 especially the stomach and intestines, which appeared nearly equal to the finest 

 injection ; the stomach and intestines contained a mucous matter, the greatest 

 part of which was blood, and the fine villous coat, which is so visible in these 



