242 
ON  THE  VENOM  OF  SERPENTS. 
of  any  wound  made  by  the  fang.  Unless  the  fangs  are  erected 
for  battle,  they  lie  concealed  in  the  upper  part  of  the  mouth,  sunk 
between  the  external  and  internal  jaw  bones,  somewhat  like  a 
pen-knife  blade  shut  up  in  its  handle,  where  they  are  covered  by 
a  fold  of  membrane,  which  encloses  them  like  a  sheath ;  this  is 
the  vagina  dentis.  There  can  be  no  doubt  but  these  fangs  are 
frequently  broken  off  or  shed,  as  the  head  grows  broader,  to  make 
room  for  new  ones  nearer  the  verge  of  the  mouth  ;  for,  within, 
the  vagina  dentis  of  a  very  large  crotalus  horridus,  I  found  no 
less  than  five  fangs  on  each  side — in  all  stages  of  formation — the 
smallest  in  a  half  pulpy  or  cartilaginous  state,  the  next  something 
harder,  the  third  still  more  perfect,  and  so  on  to  the  main,  well- 
set,  perfect  fang.  Each  of  these  teeth  had  a  well  defined  cavity 
like  the  main  one.  Three  fangs  on  each  side  were  frequently 
found  in  copper-heads,  vipers,  and  others. 
The  process  of  robbing  serpents  of  their  venom  is  easily  accom- 
plished by  the  aid  of  chloroform,  a  few  drops  of  which  stupifies 
them.  If,  while  they  are  under  its  influence,  they  are  carefully 
seized  by  the  neck,  and  the  vagina  dentis  held  out  of  the  way  by 
an  assistant,  with  a  pair  of  forceps.,  and  the  fang  be  erected  and 
gently  pressed  upwards,  the  venom  will  be  seen  issuing  from  the 
fang,  and  dropping  from  its  point.  It  may  then  be  absorbed  by 
a  bit  of  sponge,  or  caught  in  a  vial,  or  on  the  point  of  a  lancet. 
After  robbing  several  serpents  in  this  manner,  they  were  found 
after  two  days  to  be  as  highly  charged  as  ever  with  venom  of 
equal  intensity  with  that  first  taken. 
During  the  process  of  robbing  several  species  of  serpents,  I 
inoculated  several  small  but  vigorous  and  perfectly  healthy  vege- 
tables, with  the  point  of  a  lancet  well  charged  with  venom.  The 
next  day  they  were  withered  and  dead,  looking  as  though  they 
had  been  scathed  with  lightning.  In  attempting  to  preserve  a 
few  drops  of  venom,  for  future  experiments,  in  a  small  vial  with 
two  or  three  parts  of  alcohol,  it  was  found  in  a  short  time  to  have 
lost  its  venomous  properties.  But  after  mixing  the  venom  with 
aqua  ammonia,  or  spirits  turpentine,  or  oil  of  peppermint,  or  of 
cinnamon,  or  of  cloves,  or  with  nitric  or  sulphuric  acid,  it  still 
seemed  to  act  with  undiminished  energy.  It  is  best  preserved, 
however,  for  future  use  by  trituration  with  refined  sugar  or  sugar 
of  milk. 
A  very  fine  large  cotton-mouth  snake,  being  captured  by  put- 
