Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1899-04-26
THE COBRA'S BANGS.
PROOF THAT THEY ARE NOT IN
 THEMSELVES POl-ONous.

How the Reptile Strikes and the Effect
 of the Blow-Aetion Is Magnificent and
 Swift as a Lightning Flash-Attack Is
 Usually Fatal.
 Now, the so-caIled poisonous fangs
 are not in themselves poisonous-that is, they are not coated with poison; nOreYen have they q capillary tube run
 ming inside along their lengths; through which the cobra injects the poison ln- to the wound. If that were the case,
 the cobra could not seize it's food With out infecting it with the poison. Inc real fact is there is a fine tube running l from the base of each of the two fangs i backward under the eye to an almond shaped gland or bag, which contains the poison. This gland is constantly secretfng the poison, with small sup l ply for immediate use. Hence, Ii the tube connecting the gland to the base
 of the fang were kept open, the poison would be constantly running out into the mouth of the cobra, and thus vast ed to no purpose. To prevent this circular muscle binds the tube some where about the middle. But when the cobra strikes it's prey this muscle is relaxed, and another one squeezes
 the poison-bag. and thus injeets the poison.
 But let Us describe the whole pro-
 cess of striking, and see what the cobra does when lie means mischief. He expands his head and rears at least q third of his length in the air,
 with the rest of the body c0iled in the form of q spiral. This spiral form gives him sufficient anchorage to rear Ehis body by sheer muscular effect, and
 also the necessary leverage in dealing the blow. His eyes glisten like obel-
 isks. his forked tongue darts in and out with q low hfssing sound. Sud-
 denly he throws back his head in a low curve, and as swiftly darts forward
 to his victim. partly as q plunge and partly as q spring, unfolding portion
 of his coil to increase his range. It l looks as if the cobra sprang into the air. but, as matter of fact, his belly usually touches the ground at the mo-
 ment of striking, in order to afford him sufficient leverage to imbed his fangs firmly in the body of the victim.
 The action is magnificent. and yet swift as q lightning fash The tongue is withdrawn the mouth wide open. ] ] AC IdHAC idi Oi1 lllC flttiiiI slf9 d stab, the lower jaw closing in beneath
 as a bite If the blow has been fair and square, two small punctures are
 made in the flesh of the victim by the two fangs; otherwise, if the blow has l been 0ne-sided, there will be only one l puncture
 Now, the mere striking of the blow l is not enough. and if the cobra were l instantaneoHs1g 10 withdraw the fanes after dealing the blow, his prey would suffer no worse effect than the pain i of those needle-like punetures. Ii is l still necessary to inject the poison. In certain cases indeed. by q strong mus cular action. the poison has been in- i jacted almost simultaneously with the i blow; nay, in case where the cobra was iIordinately reused to fury, the poison was shet out by a strong mus cul9r effort while the cobra was still l in the act of plunging-an in this case 1 the W0uia-be victim, who was really l out of range, escaped the blow, but I had the poison sqHirted ali over him. 1 still however. in most cases the poison i is injected after the blow-th0ugh it be l but half second after That half q second has saved many life-f0r in- stance. where the blow, not being 1 struck full iii the body, but only on
 the edge of it, the cobra slipped off l the body by the mere impetus of the
 blow, causing the faDgs to scratch ] along the skin in two thin lines
 l Assuming, however, that the blow l has been struck fuil on the body oi tbe l victim, the cobra immediately after the i blow wriegles bis head either 10 the
 right or to the left This act of turn i ing helps to squeeze the poison gland
 situated on that side to which the cobra has turned, and thus to inject
 tue poison over the puncture on that i side After this discharge the cobra
 usually drops eff the limb in an inert l mass as if considerably, though temp
 orarfly, weakened by the loss of the precious fluid. There may, of course
 be sufficient secretion still left in the l bag to give a second bite immediately
 after. but in that ease the wound may l not necessarily be fatal.