104 POISONOCS SNAKES AND SNAKE POISONS. 



fatal. When the serpent strikes at an animal, the poison 

 is forced through the poison-fang into the wound, partly 

 by the contractions of the muscular walls of the gland, 

 and partly by the compressive action of the muscles of 

 the jaws, perhaps also simply by the repulsion of the tooth 

 which when forcing its way into the wound is pressed 

 backward to a certain extent and squeezes the gland. 



The act of biting is the work of one single moment. 

 The snake coils up into a spiral, and about one-third of 

 its length, carrying the head, rises from the coil and 

 stands upright, waiting. 



Then its head and neck are thrown far back, its mouth 

 is opened very wide, the fangs, held firmly erect, and 

 with an abrupt swiftness, for which its ordinary motions 

 prepare one but little, and with extreme force it thrusts 

 its head forward and plunges the fangs into the flesh of 

 the victim, striking once, scarcely ever a second time, and 

 immediately after being on guard again. The blow may 

 be called a stab, given by throwing the head forward, 

 while the half coils below it are straigthened out to 

 lengthen the neck and give power to the motions which 

 drive the fangs into the opponent ; as they enter, the 

 temporal muscle closes the lower jaw on the part struck 

 and thus forces the sharp fangs deeper in. It is a thrust 

 aided by a bite. At this moment the poison duct is 

 opened by the relaxation of the muscle which surrounds 

 it, and the same muscle which shuts the jaw squeezes 

 the gland and drives its venom through the duct and 

 the hollow fang into the bitten part. In so complicated 

 a series of acts there is often failure. The tooth strikes 

 on tough skin and doubles back or fails to enter, or the 

 serpent misjudges the distance, falls short and may 

 squirt the poison several feet in the air, where it does 

 no harm. A snake in South Africa, the spitting snake 

 {Serpedon hmmachates), has its name from the capability 

 of hurling the poison towards its enemy. 



eo 



