Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1868-04-17

which are sadly deceptive, and have cost
more than one man his life. Hundreds OF
1 times have we seen this swift motion, and
as often Marveled at the simplicity and
certainty of the means which drove the re-
lentless, death-laden head to its mark.
| The laboratory in which the serpent
makes his potent medicine is an almond
| shaped gland behind the eye, on either
side of the upper jaw. 1t looks like the
ordinary salivary glands, and is merely q
| mass of minute tubes surrounded by little
sacs or cells, only to be seen by p micro
scope Here the venom forms, and thence
reaches larger tube at the lower side Of
| the gland. This is the only poison sac. 1t
communicates with tube or duct about
the size of steel knitting-needle, which
runs forward under the eye, and then
around the front of the upper jaw, where
it has a slight enlargement made up OF
muscular ibres, so arranged as to keep
the duct shut and cork up thepoison until
a greater power overcomes the resistance
The anterior bone of the serpent's upper
| jaw is double--one for each side. This ex-
quislte instrument is merely hollow tooth,
curved backwards like the bend of a sa-
bre, with little forward turn at the tip,
which is itself solid, for strengths sake, as
sharp as the finest needle. About a line
below this point, on the front aspect, there
is a minute opening. If we run into this
a bristle, it will appear at the base of the
tooth, just where the tube leading from
the gland lies against the fang, and is held
| to it by the folds of tissue which lie in
| the gums. When unused, the two fsngs,
with their supporting bone, in which they
are rigidly fixed, are drawn backwards,
and lie, covered by cloak of mucous It's
! sue, one on each side upon the roof of the
snakes mouth. A second muscle is so at
tached to the maxillary bone as to be able
to erect it, together with the fang, which,
when thus ready for use, projects down
wards into the open mouth, its convexlty
forward. = ta
1t will be easy to understand now this
wonderful machinery moves in sequence
to its deadly result You have come a
little too near this coiled death. Instantly
the curves of the projecting neck are
Strengthened, half ring of the coil flashes
out with it, and the head is thrust at the
opposing flesh, the bulk of the body serv-
ing as an anchor. As it moves, the neck
bends back, the mouth opens wide, the
faDgs are unsheathed and held stiffly, and
you have sharp pang as the points enter
the skin. Quick as thought the lower jaw
shuts on the part, deeper go the fangs, and,
the same muscle which closes the jaw
COMPRISING the glands, the venom is in
jected among the tissues which the fangs
have pierced. sss,ts~s
4 1t Sometimes chances that, despite all
this exquisite machinery, some little failure
occurs, which may be taken as desirable
Ipiece of good luck for the person aimed at.
For instance, the teeth may strike at q
disadvantage and be suddenly doubled
backwards, whereupon the venom occa
sionally goes down the snakes throat, and,
as we shall see, does him no such harm as
drugs usually do the apothecary or il
chances that, the sequence of actions fail
elected before the fang enters, or escapes
at the base of the tooth on account of the
duct not being drawn neatly upon the
aperture of the tooth.
Let these incidents occur and at the
same time let the sharp and hooked teeth
| of the lower jaw wound the skin, and we
shall have all the material for case o.
rattlesnake bite in which we may admin
lister an antidOte with great surety of sue
cess. A snake strikes you, the skin is
wounded, and the conclusion is naturally
drawn that you are also poisoned whereas
both in man and animals, as we have seer
many times, the victim may drag the snake
some distance, hung to the tissues by thu
harmless little hooked teeth of the lowel
LAW. ~
1t is also matter of moment whether
being bitten, you have received two fang
wounds or only one, because the two gland
are as independent of one another as tw,
rival drug shops; and, if you get boil
fangs in you, the dose of the venom is twic
what it would be if only one of them en-
tered. Luckily, it often chances that, il
small members like the fingers, one tootl
goes aside of the mark, and so fails of it
purpose, thus lesseniDg the risk exactly
one-half.
These keenly tempered fangs are liabl
to be lost by accidents, and also to fall b.
natural decay. When the former occurs
the snake is unarmed for the time; but il
a few days reserve fang which Away
lies behind or to one side of the activ,
tooth-becomes firmly set in its socket
and comes into opposition with the open
ing of the duct. 1t is therefore not enough
to pull out the active fang, since numerou
it. A young friend once showed me
small rattlesnake, from which he had take
the active fangs three months before, sup
posing the reptile thus disarmed for life
He was accustomed to handle it freely, an,
had never been bitten. On opening tn
q mouth, pointed out to him the new an
n efficient teeth which had taken the place Q
J. those he had removed How much DANCE
e he thus ran it were hard to say, since th
e snake may be handled with impunity,
r care be taken not to hurt it or use abrup
a motions. 4 ~ aieE
e A very startling incident illustrative o
Y this occurred some years ago in Philade
|. phia. A tavern-keeper had in box tw
8 large rattlesnakes, perfectly wild and nc
8 long captive. Coming into his bar-roor
8 early one morning, he found his littl
O daughter, about six years old, seated besid
Il the open box, with both serpent
v lying in her lap. He was wise enough
V seeing her unhurt, to ask how they &C
out, and hearing in reply that she herse
!. had lifted them from the box, he ordere
d her to replace them, which she did witt
II out harm, finally closing upon them the Ii
e of their cage. Snakes long confined yer
J. often becomes so tame that, as we hay
e found, they will allow mice, ed-birds, {
O pigeons in their cage without attemptin
e to injure them. IF any still doubt that til
Is rattlesnake may be handled with impunit
II the experience of the naturalist Waterto
" may end his doubt. His biographer d
le scribes him as Selling and holding poison
Gus serpents with an indifference which
N only credible to those who have studio
Iy their habits with care. We are persuade
IT however, that certain snakes are mo-
N likely to strike than others, some requi