Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1891-02-28
FACTS ABOUT SNAKES.
Funniest Serpent in the World
How Snake Skeletons Are Pro-

PdAC0s
ssThe funniest snake know anything
about is one found in Africa, which lives
upon eggs, said 0steologist Lucas to
Washington Star reporter. at has acu-
rious projection downward from its back
bone, lust behind the head, which is like
a tooth, the extremity being actually
timed with enamel This tooth-like APP
pendage has most important function
with relation to the creatures method OF
getting a living, and 1t would be difficult
to find more astonishing illustration in
nature of the adaptation Of structure to
necessity.
When this snake swallows an egg
the latter is passed down through the
gullet until it encounters the sharp tooth
have spoken of, which breaks the shell.
Thus, not only is the food rendered ready
for immediate digestion, but no portion
of the fluid contents is lost, rs would be
the case if the snake were obliged to
bite into the egg with its mouth fangs
at seems surprising how many snakes
are able to swallow animals bigger than
their own diameter until it is considered
how particularly well nature has adapted
to the purpose the structure Of their jaws.
The lower Jaw bone instead of being in
single piece, is merely connected in front
BIZ an elastic ligament, so that the two
halves are capable of great extension.
Again, the halves Of the lower jswbone
are attached to the skull very far back,
so that the animal can make an enormous
gap.
ITO properly prepare the skeleton OF
snake is one Of the most difficult pieces
of work in my line of business. Serpents
OF all sorts como to the Smithsonian In
two shapes. The smaller ones are usually
in alcohol, while the big fellows are apt
TO be simply dried and poisoned by
soaking in an arsenical solution. In the
preparation of specimen very sharp and
delicate scissors are employed, with for
ceps to supplement them, the flesh being
carefully removed so far as is practicable
with these instruments. Then recourse
must be had to the scraping Of the bones
until they are perfectly clean. Sometimes
the skeleton is soaked in an acid prepar-
alton for the purpose, but this destroys
the ligaments, and it is not easy TO lut
all the parts together again rightly. In
the preparation of delicate skeletons the
great thing is patience. There are two
very finely prepared skeletons of big
snakes in the National Museum, and in
making them ready for exhibition the
utmost pains were taken to preserve the
cartiaginous extremites Of the ribs,
which with ordinary treatment are lost.
Without these little pieces of carthage
the serpent's skeleton can hardly be said
to be complete, inasmuch as they are the
feet upon which they walk, as it were.
In fact, a snake walks OH the ends of its
ribs and in that manner achieves locomo-
motion. Some big serpents, however
like the boas and pythons, really have
hind legs, though they are quite rudi-
mentary. Pythons, you know, arc con-
strictors, crushing their prey in their
folds. They have no poison glands, but
they can bite terriically with their many
teeth, which turn inward like hooks, so
that person once seized would have
little chance of discngaging himself save
by chopping off the he1d of the animal, y