The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-12-18
Professor Huxley OH Snakes.
London Times.1

Yesterday evening the opening lecture
at the London Institution for the season,
was delivered by Professor Huxley, F.
R. S., to very crowded audience, his
subject being Snakes" than which, he
said, there were, in the popular appre-
hension, few animals more symbolical of
degradation and horror Quoting the
primeval curse in Genesis, he remarked
that no creatures seemed more easily de-
stroyed by man, and few less able to de-
fend themselves. Few wounds would be
less harmful than snakes bite were it
nothing more than the sudden closing of
of the teeth. Yet there we're not many
animals gifted with so many faculties.
1t can stand up erect, climb as well as
any ape, swim like fish, dart forward,
and do all but fly in seizing its prey.
The destructiveness Of snakes to man was
illustrated by the fact that 10000 hui
man lives are yearly lost in India by
their poison, and it might safely be said
that they are more deadly enemy to
our race than any other beasts Of the
field. Professor Huxley spoke first of
the three classes indigenous to our own
climate-the ringed snake, the coronelia
and the viper. Of these the viper alone
was venomous, which the differences be-
tween its structure and that of the harm
less British snakes helped to explain.
1t might be that the reason there were
no snakes in Ireland was the multiplicity
of its other plaques. Everybody must
be struck with the beauty of the harm
less snakes, which formed the overwhelm-
ing majority-especially the grace with
which they wreathed their bodies into
circles and their fine eyes. The venom
Gus snakes were not so beautiful. None
admired our native viper, with its yel-
lowish scales. To adults its bite was far
schooner serious than to the young.
Passing to snakes in general, of which
there were many hundreds of distinct
species, the lecturer illustrated in great
detail the adaptation of their organiza-
ton to it's manifold work. s. ,..
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 it into shapeless and writhing
mass, and at last swallowing it whole.
He pointed out some very curious ar
rangements in the anatomical mechanism
and jaw-bones illustrative of the state
ment that the snake can not properly be
said to swallow his prey; he holds on to
it rather, gradually working it down its
throat in a most leisurely manner, but
never letting it 60. He would take a
sleep for six weeks before giving up his
task, and if the morsel were really too
big would sometimes die in the effort to
get it down. Of course, the snake re-
quired very fully developed and effec-
tive apparatus of salivary glands for
this purpose. ST a- a
The poison bag of the venomous snakes
was nothing but modification of the sal
wary glands of the harmless species, the
of both kinds being in almost
all respects not only parallel through
out, but almost identical. AS another
of the close relationship it was
shown that the sharp channel-needle
which conveys the poison Of the cobra,
and its congeners is nothing but the de-
velopment Of the tooth which these mur-
derous reptiles possess in common with
innoeuous snakes. The fact that the
salivary gland was the poison laboratory
Of the deadly snakes as we'll rs the known
Of the saliva Of dogs Or other
living creatures affected with rabies ap.
peared to Professor Huxley 10 point cut
the direction in which the solution Of the
difficult problem Of the cause of snake
and Of a possible antidcte
against it. AT present there was no man
living who could heal the bite Of the
cobra, except by cauterization in very
fresh cases. '~'s'"" 4''' '+