The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1853-01-11
III / S GEL L A N E0 u S
From Dickens Household WnrIn.
EnoiSomorux Scrrcna<.

,trac,ive collection Of living reptiles
in the u Illogical Gardens, Regents
Park, was bi,.en by Cobra de Ca
pel!o, and died.
( 4S4fAn animal devoid of lir,bs, NJ"
bigger thun a c"mmmon eel, did.
with "A tooth inalctinS wound like
"a ncedlc.rrick, slay man in full
health and i'll the prime and ,ignr Of
life.
NJ This, when one comes to think of
: It, is all astonishing Instance Of the
potency of the co,npcnsa'ions award
Sc'l by Nature to the weak an seem,
inylr drfcncelCss. and least finished
Hvit her creatures; vet the sell STYLED
lord If creation has so often fallen Il
i victim To similar insi'linns assaults,
that he has come tn regard the whole
race of scrrents witI, al Instructive
fear a,id dis gust.
What is the weapon that in So
small n compass hides such deadly
4fprce,? Th. comparative ana.onis's
,-'giv, the following an lysit Of it. Il,
consists uf the instrument tha, pier
ces, viz: the tooth. or '''"is n fang"
the IN veable stock or handle il,
Which the !icrrer Is fixed. called the
jn; the muscles, Or moving powers
II the jaw; the. bas 'ltanins the
ieii,;l ammunition, called the '.l,nisul
hac;" the iyc whicl, carries the vc.
n,m lat9 the tooth, or poison duct;"
anl the sIrrrzer or muscle thar
drives the venom from the bag, alon4
tie duet, Though the tooth, into the
wound which il iutlicts. The poison
f.ln.s, in or,ler to be adapted to per.
firm iis share III the complex rna,
{ inery, differs mnch from ordinary
teeth ami we'll useti:s its special
name. II the, reader be familiar
with the iurm oi' q simple piercing
tooth, as, for example, the long fam
"f.a dog, whence, indeed, the nau.r
canine gwen to Such teeth "a tooth.
i,at i,t, say, which consists ct ii
hard, pointed, long AMI slender conc.
with a hollow base-anl if he w.rc
u propose sach slc,rler anil Ia.tl.
1. l,ullpw conc to he rolled ont fiat. the
: ei 5es chen bent towards cac! other.
AL | s1l ltrcl together, 81 rs t. t,ru;
Il canal open at both ends, he would
i have a Sovl lea Of the general furuI
ant structure Of a rolsnn FAM. lhr
r,lscs OF the fastened tooth, which
W have Supposed to be So arproxi
mattel, ale bent round the c.l If the
.loisou duct, which closely adhcrcs to
) and lines the canal, and The line ii
s,ll,n o.! the Two edges runs along tic
+ front an convex 81 'c of the sIi sh,l,
lcnrved FAM. The basal aperture q
ii. POISON canal is oblique, and its
opp'site or terminal outlet ID still
ampre 81; presenting the form of
narrow eli itical longitudinal fssurc
j, at short distance from the ian.'s
point that is left suill, AMI entire,
anil fit for the purpose Of perfnra,iou.
'"A fine hair can be passed throuyE,
I, the canal of the poison ia,r of the
cobra. The tooth. su modificL IN
t!as vcnon,us serpents, is not i'm
sltuntci in a socket like ordinary
t.eth, but is firmly s,lcre,l-s, to
s,,cak the i,w bone, which com
,nrnly has no other tooth to surpor,
nnlis singnlarly modified in siz. and
shape to allow Of the moye,ncn,s re-
quisitc for the deep plunge Of the
!, toDth into the object aimed at. |, is
only tie uppcr ilw that is 50 armed;
and this, iilstva:l Of being wed led
cnDmoycaLly, as in m,st animals, be.
g tween other bones Of the face or
3,mv,,uzzle, is attached by one small part