REPTILES IN THE TARN AND THE GREEN LANES. Utt 



westerly extension. It is abundant in Scotland, how- 

 ever, where in numbers it excels the common snake. 

 All our reptiles, including snakes, hide up during 

 the winter; and popular belief asserts that during 

 that season the bite of the viper is harmless. The 

 following illustration of the anatomy of this inte- 

 resting creature may prove useful: 



The poison apparatus of the viper consists of the 



Fig. 73. 



gland in which poison is secreted, the duct or canal 

 which it travels along, and the fang by means of which 

 it is injected. The gland is placed at the side of the 

 head (a), and consists of an assemblage of lobes. 

 The substance is soft and yellow, with a spongy ap- 

 pearance. The duct or canal through which the 

 poison is conveyed to the fang is a narrow cylindri- 

 cal tuie swelling in the centre of its course into a 

 kind of reservoir, and terminating in the base of the 



