24 



THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM 'MAGAZINE. 



POISON APPARATUS OF RATTLE SNAKE. 



BC\4W 



c 



The \cnoin apparatus of a snake consists 

 of a pair of hollow or grooved fangs, 

 situated one each side of the upper jaw, 

 generally at the front of the maxillary 

 bone. To each of the fangs is attached a 

 tube and a venom gland, the latter lying 

 along the upper jaw, just under or behind 

 the eye. When a snake bites, the muscles 

 which surround the gland squeeze out the 

 venom, force it along the tube and into 

 the hollow fang, through which it passes, 

 eventually finding its way out through an 

 opening near the point, which may be 

 buried deep in the flesh of a victim. 



On the diagram there will be seen the 

 poison apparatus of a Rattle Snake, and 

 for convenience this may be considered 

 typical of .'\ustralian venomous snakes, 

 except that the fangs of our species are 

 very much smaller and are permanently 

 erect. The illustration shows the apparatus 

 of one side of the head only. 



.\. (i) Muscles which open and close the 

 jaws, surround the venom gland and 



squeeze out the venom. (2) Venom gland, 

 situated in a dense sheath of fibrous muscle. 

 (3) Duct or tube, along which the venom 

 is forced to the entrance of the canal in 

 the fang. (4) Entrance to the canal in the 

 fang. (5) Hollow fang. (6) Opening 

 through which the venom leaves the fang. 



B Brunton's first-aid instrument for 

 snake bite, consisting of a lance, a screw 

 cap cover, and a hollow handle which con- 

 tains crystals of permanganate of potash. 



C. (i) Ordinary grooved tooth pos- 

 sessed by many snakes in addition to the 

 fangs. (2) Grooved fang as in the back- 

 fanged snakes. (3) and (3a) Typical fang 

 of Australian species, or the Cobras, etc., 

 in which the groove is not quite closed ; this 

 type of fang is generally followed by one 

 or more small teeth. (4) and (4a) Typical 

 hollow fang possessed by Vipers and Rattle 

 Snakes ; the groove is completely closed ; 

 there are no other teeth on the maxillary 

 bone, and it is erected or depressed as the 

 jaws open and shut. 



