New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-12-14
PROFESSOR HUXLEY on SNAKES.



Yesterday evening The opening lecture at the Lon.
don Institution for the season, was delivered by
Professor Huxley. FRS, TO very crowded audi
ence, his subject being "Snakes," than which, he
said, there were. III the popular apprehension. few
animals more symbocal OF degradation and horror.
Quoting the primeyal curse IN Genesis, he remarked
that no creatures seemed easily de-
stroyed by and few less able to de-
fend themselves. Few wounds would be less harmful
than snakes bite were IL nothing more than the
sudden closing of the teeth. Yet there were not
many animals gifted with SO many faculties 1t
can stand up erect, climb ~ well rs any ape, swim
like fish, dart forward, and do all but nv IN selz
ing its prey. The destructyeness OF snakes to man
was illustrated by the fact that 10000 human lives
yearly lost in India by their poison and 1t might
safely be said that they more deadly enemy to
our race than any other beasts of the field. Pro-
fessOr Huxley spoke first of the three classes ndlg
enous to our own clImate-the rnged snake, the
coronelIa and the viper. OF these the viper alone
venomous which the differences between its
structure and that of the harmless British snakes
nepd to explain Fet Ireland he m 1e
tiplicity of its other plaques. Everybody must be
struck with the beauty OF the harmless snakes.
which formed the overwhelming maOrty-esDe-
cally the grace with which they wreathed their
bodies into circles and their fine eyes The venom
Gus snakes were not beautiful. None admired
our native viper. with ITS yell0wish scales. 10
adults its bite was far schooner serious than TO tho
young. Passing to snakes in general. OF which
there many hundreds OF distinct species tho
lecturer illustrated IN great detail the adaptation
of their organization TO its manifold work.
Very graphic was his description OF the manner
in which some OF the more destructive snakes dart
suddenly on their prey, twisting themselves round
its body crushing 1t INTO shapcless and writing
mass. and at last swallowing it whole. lie pointed
out some very curious arrangements IN tho
anatomical mechanism and jaw-bones Illustrative
of the statement that the snake cannot properly Do
said to swallow his prey; he holds on to 1t rather
gradually working II down ITS throat IN most
lelsurey manner, but never letting 10 60. Iie
would take a sleep Tor six weeks before giving up
his task, and if the mOrsel were really too big
would sometimes die in the effort to get 1t down.
OF course he snake required a very fully developed
and effective apparatus of saliyary glands
for this purpose. The poison bag Of
the venomOus snakes was nothing but
modification Of the salIyary glands of the harmless
species structure of both kinds being IN almost
all respects not only parallel throughout but almost
Identical As another instance of the close rela-
tiOnship 1t was shown that the sharp chapnel.
needle winch conveys the poison of the cobra, ana
its congeners is nothing but the development OF the
tooth which these murderous reptiles possess III
common with innocuous snakes. The fact that inc
saliyary gland the poison laboratory OF tine
deadly snakes as well as the known properties OF
the saliva of dogs other living creatures Affected
with rabies appeared to Professor Huxley to point
ont the direction in which the solution OF the am
cult problem of the of snake poisoning aud OF
n possible antidote against 1t. Al present there
was no man living who could heal the bite OF tho
cobra except by cauteriZation in very fro sh cases.