The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-01-22
HE TALKED ABOUT SNAKES.
John Van Denburgh on Reptiles in
California.
Rattlesnakes Of the Various Species Are
the Only Ones That Need Be
Feared as Poisonous.


The Academy of Sciences held its regu-
lar semi-monthly meeting in the lecture
room last night, and John Van Denburgh
talked about snakes to small audience.
What the audience lacked in numbers, how
ever, was made up in appreciation of the
lecturers remarks on reptile life in Cali
fornia President Hardness occupied the
chair.
Mr.. Van Denburgh began his discourse
by showing how the dread of reptiles. but es-
pecially of snakes, most OF which are harm
less, is shared with man by large number
of lower animals. Thus the agile monkev
fears the snake as much as does the most
timid man, and, just like man, the monkey
makes no distinction between harmless and
poisonous snakes. Even the toad, which
is such useful animal in DESTROYING in
sect pests, is accused falsely of causing
warts.
"The great majority of the poisonous
reptiles of California, said Mr.. Van Den
burgh, "belong to the rattlesnakes. scien-
tifcally designated with the name crotalus.
A single exception is the coral-snake, or
elaps. But this is often confounded with
the harmless kingsnake. Both the coral
snake and the kingsnake are banded red,
white and black, but the two may be dis
bnguished by the fact that the poisonous
coral-snake has the red rings adjoining the
white, while the non-poisonous kingsnake
has the red rings separated from the white
rings by black ones. But even the coral
snake should never be killed, as it is too
small to do any injury to man; its mouth
would not even be large enough to grasp
finger.
THUS it may be seen that the rattle
snakes are the only poisonous animals we
need to fear. The manner of inhicting the
wound by the various species of rattle
snakes is the same in the respective species.
The apparatus for biting consists OF fang
or curved tooth, pierced like hypodermic
syringe, and a poison gland behind the
eye. The fang is connected with muscles
in such a way that when at rest it lies fat
pointing backward, while when ready to
strike it is raised forward. The poison
from the gland is directly connected
with the hollow part of the fang,
flowing through it into the wound The
lecturer pointed out how just before
striking the snake coiled itself up
with its upper part somewhat erected
above the coils and its head somewhat
pushed backward. mo snake can strike
further than one-half the length of its
body, and generally much less, the general
belief that snake can Jump far forward
on its victim being erroneous. AT the
same time the head is bent backward.
which again causes the fangs to be placed
in favorable position for penetrating the
opposing flesh. This opens the Jaws of the
snake to such an extent that a person
above can see the mucous membrane of
the snakes mouth. The mere opening of
the mouth does not raise the fangs. The
raising of the fangs is caused by the action
OF a separate muscle on bone acting
somewhat as the bars in a typewriter,
which holds the type. The fang when at
rest is covered with cloakhke sheath, but
as soon as the fangs are raised this sheath
is pulled back and lies in folds at the base
OF the fang. In striking the heavy folds or
rings of the body of the snake act as an
anchor for the upper free part. At the
strike the jaws are shut on the wound.
This causes the temporal bones of the
skull to compress two-thirds of the poison
gland, squeezing the poisonous fluid into
the duct of the fang.
This whole process is the work of an
instant, the snake Immediately endeavor-
ing to disengage its fangs from the victim,
which again is done by releasing the
muscles of the neck. Sometimes this is
prevented by the catching of the teeth OF
the lower jaw. To disengage them the
snake then shakes its head Just as does
dog after he has caught rat. The rattle
snake bite, so disastrous to smaller ami
mails, is rarely fatal to man, death follow
ing in less than 10 per cent of bitten cases.
Rattlesnakes prefer rocky ground and
dense vegetation.
1.-THE rattlesnake has many natural ene-
mics, principally the. roadrunner. Also
harmless serpents feed on the rattlesnakes
Then the 'milksnake has been seen to
seize a rattlesnake and to devour ii alive
The kingsnake is credited also with de-
vouring the rattlesnake, and it, like many
other harmless snakes, helps man in de-
stroying poisonous serpents In confne-
ment rattlesnakes generally refuse food,
and the mice intended for them take adj
vantage of their sluggishness and bite off
the rattles of the snakes.
$50 far five different species of rattle
snakes have been found in California, each
in a general way having chosen certain
part of the State. Thus we have the tiger
RATHER in the desert regions at a high ele-
vation the side-winder in the lower desert
regions. The latter is almost white, and
thus peculiarly adapted to escape dis
covery in the white sand. In San Diego
County there are two other varieties. while
the coast is inhabited by the common
diamond RATHER, which attains a length of
sometimes even six or seven feet The
small side-wipder is the fiercest of the
varieties, while the longer ones are the
least aggressive. Lie mountain regions
are infested with the smaller lueifer-raftler.
very dark-colored snake. 1t does little
harm to man, and does more good by
destroying rats and MICE
The lecturer illustrated his interesting
account by drawings on the blackboard.
and by specimens OF snakes in alcoholic
jars.
Several antidotes for snake bite were
suggested, among them being strychnine,
alcohol and cactina.