Daily Los Angeles herald., 1884-09-10
How Ratt'esnakes Strike Their Prey
Remedy for Bites.
un..rv,sw IN washington stsr.l


The poison gland Of the poisonous SER
pent IL situated at the side OF the skull,
behind the eye, and is provided with an
excretory duct which opens through
deep groove on the outer surface OF the
fang. At the will of the serpent the
venom may or may not be delivered with
tho bite. In the rattlosnake and copper
head the fang lies concealed in groove
in tho lining membrane Of the mouth,
when not required for offensive and de-
fensive purposes. When the reptile
proposes to strike--for the act is not OF
the nature Of an ordinary bite--the
fangs, two In number in the upper
jaw are raised from their ccneeHlnent
and projected forward, the reptile throws
his body forward, and the fangs pene-
trate the object against which they are
thrown. The poisonous material Is in
jected through the fang. or tooth, into
the wound made by the prick or scratch
of the fang. by means af the muscles
which ordinarily close the jaws, and by
some special muscles developed, appar-
entity, for the direct purpose Of com.
pressing the poison gland. The fangs
are made OF very hard and brittle mate
rial, resembling bone, are very sharp and
OF slender form; thus there Is great
probability Of their being broken. There
Il. consequently, ample provisions
against accidents Of this kind in the
shape Of reserve fangs'-two or three
Of these rudimontary weapons being in
process Of development at times. As
soon rs those in are drawn out or broken
OF the reserve fangs very soon grow into
the vacant place.
ut IL generally understood" the
speaker went on, "that when serpent
strikes at an object il can jump consid.
erable distance. Such Is not the case.
Very angry individuals strike whether
coiled or not. They do not jump; the
hinder part Of the body remains in po-
siti0n, and none OF our snakes are In the
habit of reaching more than half their
length, and under no circumstances can
they reach over their length. Most Of
. serpent's power is In his tail, aud If
that part is damaged or cut oil, he is at
the mercy Of his enemy, as he is then,
TO q great extent, helpless.
"After wounding 1t fatally the snake
watches its prey very intently until the
venom has produced tho desired effect
and the victim falls. when II appears as
II mn estimate Of the size was made with
chin and tongue by passing from one
end 10 the other Of the body before the
attempt to swallow begins at its nose.
This intent gazing at squirrels, birds.
etc., In their agonies, has given rise to
the erroneous ideas concerning fascina.
tion. ALI there is in fascination or
charming 10 to be accounted for by the
fact Just mentioned, together with the
quiet, almost imperoeptible molten OF
the snake and the rccklessness and
terrorism Of the prey. Venom hastens
decomposition, and thus renders more
rapid digestion.
''On receiving bite, said Mr.. Rhcem.
"the first thing TO be done is to suck out
A. much poison ~ possible. enlarging
the wound with knife for that pur.
pose. Care must be taken that the per.
son sucking the wound has no cuts or
sores on the lips or mouth, otherwise
the poison would have as much effect on
them a. the person bitten. At once
bandage should be placed as tight as
possible above the wound, or between
the wound or heart. 1t is we'll to cau-
terixs Immediately If possible. WASH
Ing the wound with ammonia is recon-
mended, as also drinking diluted mix
ture OF ten or fifteen drops in =
glass of water. Alcoholic stimulants
are undoubtedly beneficial If not
taken in excess, in which case they be.
come sedative, and assist rather than
counteraet the poison. The rattle Of the
rattlesnake is formed Of horny rings or
shells, Of which the first is firmly at.
taohed to the end of the tail. and each Of
the others loosely grasps that in front of
1t. and is itself grasped by the next in
order. 1t ia believed that one joint is
added to the number each year. This
is but approximately true. There are
variations connected with the different
ages and rates of growth, the extent Of
which have not been fully determined.
The joints are SO easily worn out and
broken that it is seldom the case that a
large snake has the complete series"