Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1860-01-27
VOL. XIII.
ABOUT SNAKES.

place. Procuring aid, he killed the monster
and found the body of the young man in it
A serpent 80 feet in length, attacked and Kill |
led Malay left in charge of boat on the /
coast of Balabes The arrival of his comrades !
alone prevented its making meal of him. A !
Lasear left in charge of a boat, fell asleep
He was awakened by finding himself within !
the coils of serpent, said to be sixty-two feet
long. His comrades arrived aud attacked the
reptile in what is the weakest point in all snakes,
the tail, which was coiled around tree on
shore, rescued him. a German author asserts
that he saw huge serpent attack buffalo, !
the latter being gradually reduced to a uniform
mass, his bones cracking with loud reports un-
der the fierce compression of his enemy.
The most appropriate place for the teeth of !
any creature wond seem to be in the mouth,
but there is South African serpent that has
them in the stomach. This creature lives up
on birds eggs; if the teeth were in the usual
place the egg would be crushed as soon as seiz-
ed, and most Of the contents lost. 1t is wisely
arranged otherwise Some of the back bones
throw out the projections which enter the
stomach, are there covered with enamel, and
become, to all intent and purpose, teeth. There
are ten of these pointing forwnrd and ten back
ward When the egg is seized it safely passes
the soft mouth and guet, is received upon the
teeth, and moves backward and forward upon
! them until it is sawed apart.
We now come to the poisonous serpent. In
these the body Immediately behind the head
diminishes somewhat, forming a sort of neck
which is not the case with the non-venomous
ones. There is less stretching power in the
jaw and there are 70 extra teeth in the roof
| of the mouth, for the venomous serpent does
not need to hold its victim !; one blow of its
fangs and the prey is secured. The possession
of these fangs is the grand difference between
these two varieties Of serpents. These are in
the upper jaw, one on each side, in front of
the ordinary teeth, to which they are similar
in shape though much longer, being in some
cases an inch in length. They are broad at
the roots and sharp at the points. Through
them runs hollow passage, opening at the
point ike pen slit, by which the poison
squeezed into them by the poison ss cks Or
glands lying near the root Of the Eangs, is con-
Quoted into any wound made by them. In the
most dangerous kinds, the fangs, when not
needed, lie down in fold OF the gum, like the
closed blade of pen knife; but Oh the APP
proach Of the encmy, or of prey. the creature
but opens its mouth, and they rise instantly
from their concea!mcnt, to defend its life Sc
cure their food, the latter being the principal
pursosc which these natural weapons serve
The fanys are easily taken out, but Just behind
them there is natural bag of growing ones,
in every sage of development from pair
,iearis large enough to take the place Of these
lost down to those SO minute as-har,iiy to he
. seen with microscope. Thus if rattle
snake be disarmed by having its teeth pu!led
out, few days makes it as dangerous as ever.
In the less Sen1inuus serpents those in which
the poison is on'y sufficient to kill mice and
I other small creatures upon which they feed,
the Eangs do not lie down. bat are permanently
fixed i'll the jaw, and instead of passage
| through thcm have only groove at the side
for conducting the venom.
The most poisonous serpcnts known arc the
| rattesnake, the water mccassin, the dart SER
e pcnt, which, gathering into coil, throws it
4 self upon lis prey distance of scvcra! yards,
c the cobra cabea or hooded serpent 3; the horn
e ed adder or cprestes, the puff adder and some
: of the serpcnts Of the East Indian waters.-
:, The horned adder is supposed to be of the asp
e which Cleopatra in accordance with Egyptian
c custom in such cases. selected as Il means OF
|. suicide, the effect of its bite being quick but
V not sharply painful. The cobra cabclIa OF
d hooded snake, is so called because when enra
e ged it initiates its neck rs to give that por
II tor of it the appearance OF a monks hood
a The puff adder has a somewhat similar habit
f of expanding its head and neck, from which il
it gets its name.
Y The speed with which snake poison acts d,
% ponds upon the place struck by the fangs. i
II vein receives the blow action is very rapit
:, for the venom operates only on the blood, de
t. composing it, and making it clot in tht
Of veins and arteries. If a muscle be struck, th
action is slower, and if fatty matter the bit
is almost harmless, that being nearly destitut
of vein The pigs which roam the woods c
ID the southwest of America have an instinctiv
IL knowledge of the parts of their anatom
st which they may suffer to be bitten with mpu
II. nifty.
is They are very fond of snakes as food, an
1g enter upon a conflict with the fiercest serpen
lie with a GOODNESS and courage for which ar
1g not accustomed to give pig credit. Whe
ps one of these pigs perceiyes rattesnalle, h
is gives notice of battle by rattling his tusks.-
he His bristcs rise, and his actions altogether bt
X come more lively than is usual under other ci
he cumstances The snake gathers itself into
m, coil, for it is only in that position that it ca
nc strike and prepare for the onset. The pig ge
Sc upon his kness, and by an awkward movemcr
nd works himself nearer his enemy. When II
ie latter strikes, the pig receives the blow in Il
ne fatty flaps on the side of the jaw, and if nce
'ur be- he turns the other cheek also, receiving a
ry, other blow. Artful porker he knows tn;
leo two such blows exhausts the poison of Il
ner snake and gives him the victory. He rises b
iui fore it can escape, puts forefoot upon its ta
and with his teeth strips the flesh from II
bones, and devours it with many grunts of 50
isfaction. The usefulness of pigs snake e
- termnators is well known in the west al
no south of America; when field or farmhou
bod becomes infested with dangerous reptiles,
I'm, sow and her litter are turned into it. Th
OF soon abate the nuisance. In Martinique VIII
uld the inhabitants have to pass through woo
ght they drive pair of pigs before them to Gle
re- the way of snakes, the valiant porkers ha
ay their snouts guarded with coverings Of tin a
aI F.? brass. This precautiOn is adopted we p
be- sume against the dart serpent which preya
can in the West Indies, the manner of its alta
,ess being different from that of the rattlesnake.
nds 1t must be remembered, however. that II
YOU Mig be thin in Aesh, and the cushion of fat
our wanting, its attacks upon poisonous repti
ave are apt To be attended with fatal consequen'
ing. to itself If the body of the animal bitten
,rth warm the poison is swifter in its action til
if the reverse was the case, and bite il
warm climate is more dangerous than in a C
the climate.
pple IF the reptiIe has not attacked anything