36 SnKPENTS. -KEPTILES. Serpents. 
evil man: presei’ve me from the violent man; which 
imagine mischiefs in their heart ; they have sharxiened 
their tongues like a serpent ; adders' poison is under 
their lip)s." As Kitto observes, “ tiie usage of the 
Hebrew language renders it by no means improbable 
that the fang itself is called Lashon, “the tongue,” in 
the present text ; and a serpent might then be said to 
sharpen its tongue, when, in preparing to strike, it pro- 
truded its fangs. The situation of the poison, which is 
in a manner behind the upper lip, gives great propriety 
to the expression, “ adders’ poison is under their lips.” 
It would appear, on good authority that this poison 
retains its power for some time after the death of 
the serpent; M. Diimeril says, even after it has been 
for some time preserved in spirits. It is necessary, 
tlierefore, he adds, to be extremely cautious in hand- 
ling or examining specimens which have been so pre- 
served. Wonderful stories to this effect have been 
told, but Dr. Cloquet in a paper communicated to the 
Philosophical Society of Paris in 1827, relates some 
experiments made by Dr. Emmanuel Pousseau, demon- 
strator of anatomy at the Jardin du lloi, who had at 
his disposal a rattlesnake which had been dead for two 
days, and who found that even in the colder climate of 
France, the poison retained its power though the snake 
was dead. A pigeon was procured, its pectoral muscles 
were pierced by the poison fang being inserted by 
force, and the pocr bird died within a very short period 
indeed. From a variety of experiments made on the 
nature of this poison, it appears, according to Schlegel 
and others, to be neither acid nor alkaline. That of 
the viper, which has been most observed, was found 
not to redden the tincture of turnsol, or turn green the 
syrup of violets.* Plowever fatal the poison of ser- 
pents is when introduced into the system, it is perfectly 
harmless when taken into the stomach. This was 
well-known to the ancients ; the celebrated Roman 
physician, Celsus, was well aware of it, and Lucan in 
his “ Pharsalia” makes Cato expound the same truth 
to the soldiers under his command— 
“ And now with fiercer heat the desert glows. 
And mid-day gleaniings aggravate their woes. 
When, lo 1 a spring amid tlie sandy plain 
Shows its clear mouth to cheer the fainting train. 
But round the guarded hank in thick array. 
Dire aspics roll’d their congregated way, 
And thirsting in the midst, the Dipsas lay. 
Black horror seized their veins, and at the view. 
Back from the fount the troops recoiling flew. 
When wise above the crowd, by cares urquelled, 
Their awful leader thus their dread dispell’d ; 
Let not vain terrors thus your minds enslave. 
Nor dream the serpent brood can taint the wave: 
Drged by the fatal fang, their poison kills. 
But mixes harmless with the bubbling rills. 
Dauntless he spoke, and bending as he stood. 
Drank with cool courage the susi)ected flood.” 
When we observe the motion of serpents, we see 
that to them eminently applies the term Reptiles, their 
mode of progression being truly reptation, or creeping. 
Many mistakes, however, are made with regard to 
* Dr. Harlan on the other hand asserts, from direct experi- 
ments, that the poison from the rattlesnake, when tested with 
litmus paper, invariably displayed acid properties ; and Dr. Can- 
tor fo\md the jioison of no fewer than seven different species, 
in all his experiments, to redden litmus paper. 
their method of moving along the ground, especially 
by artists. Mr. Waterton very jtistly remarks upon 
this subject — “ All snakes in gliding onwards take a 
motion from right to left, or vice versa, but never tip 
and down ; the whole extent of the body being in con- 
tact with the ground, saving the head which is some- 
what elevated. This is equally observable on land 
and in water. Thus when we see a snake represented 
in an up and down attitude we know at once that the 
artist is to blame.” 
The vertebrce, or bones of the spinal column, are very 
numerous, amounting in some species to more than 
three hundred ; and are united to each other by a ball- 
and-socket joint, the head of each separate bone being 
received into a deep cuplike cavity of the one suc- 
ceeding it. This mode of articulation allows of great 
mobility, each joint, separately, possessing a considerable 
degree of motion ; and all, united, giving the body very 
great flexibility. With the exception of the first two 
or three next the head, all the vertebrae — those of the 
tail not included — give origin to two ribs, one on each 
side. These ribs form a great portion of a circle, so as 
to embrace nearly the whole circumference of the body, 
and are the real and efficient organs of locomotion. 
Serpents can glide along with considerable velocity, and 
it is generally said and believed, that they can spring 
vigorously and dart their body to a great distance. 
Stories are told of their springing at a single bound 
over the head of a man riding on horseback.* When 
they repose upon the ground, they generally form 
with their body several circles placed one above another, 
or around the others surmounted by the head. The 
body is thus coiled up by the contraction of the muscles 
of one side ; and it is by the sudden relaxation of these 
muscles, and the violent and instantaneous action of the 
muscles of the other side uncoiling them, that the pro- 
pulsion of the body is accomplished. This motion is 
compared to that of a spiral spring, the coils of which 
are distinct. These being pressed upon the table tdl 
they close, and suddenly released, the whole body ot 
the spring is at once propelled forwards. From the 
structure of the vertebral column and ribs, however, as 
described above, we have great doubts whether any 
serpent has the power of raising the whole of its body 
at any time by a sudden bound, from the ground upon 
which it rested. When a serpent prepares to attack 
its prey, or any animal which has suddenly roused or 
irritated it, it raises its head and part of its body erect, 
and when it strikes, it darts forward merely that part 
which is not resting upon the soil.f The sensibility 
of serpents is, like that of other reptiles, very obtuse ; 
and in winter they pass a long period of it in a state ol 
complete lethargy. Their irritability, however, is very 
great ; their heart will still pulsate for a long time after 
it has been plucked out, and they will open and shut 
* Poets have often made allusions to this pretended power 
of serpents. Montgomery says — 
“ Anon he flew 
Straight as an arrow shot from his own rings. 
And strnck his victim, shrieking ere it went 
Down his strain’d throat, that open sepulchre.” 
■f Azara, an accurate observer, in treating of the serpents si 
Paraguay, observes — “ In order to seize their prey, they employ 
no other means than address and surprise. They approach it 
by slow degrees, because they never leap." 
