The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-03-22
SCIENCE AND SERFENTS,


|
OF THE SNAKE Tribes.
The Two Principal Groups of Seho-
nous ReptiIcs-Dfffrrcnt Ways of the
Viper and the EIapine Families In
Making the Deadly stroke-The Pow
err to Charm.
at may be stated as a general rule
said Professor Leonhard Styneger, Oh
the Smithsonian Institution, that our
poisonous snakes are decreasing rapidly
in numbers, and that consequently the
danger from their bites is constantly d.
unfinished. In many localities where
rattlesnakes We're formerly numerous
they have now become entirely eXtermi-
mated, while in others they are extreme
ly rare. The causes that have led TO
this are various, but the commonest
cause is undoubtedly the increasing CIV
lization of the country. In other places
the decrease in the number of the
snakes can be traced directly to its be-
ing killed off by the hog, an animal GER
tainly not proof against the venom II IL
| enters it's circulation, but usually well
protected by its fat, which is, in most
cases, sufficiently thick to prevent the
underlying tissues. On the other hand,
there are localities in which certain
species of poisonous snakes have actu-
ally increased"
1t is occasionally suggested that pre-
MUM per head, or rattle, be paid by the
of
! dangerous snakes but it has been
shown that there are but few localities
In the United States in which the really
dangerous species are numerous enough
| to render even an experiment with
bounty desirable. 1t has been tried and
is still in vogue in India, where large
sums are paid annually to snake de-
stroyers, but without sensibly diminish
ing the fearful mortality resulting from
snake bites in that country. Even in
the little island of Martinique it APP
pears to have had little effect in de-
creasing the number of the deadly "fer-
defiance" probably the most danger
Gus of all serpents, while it undoubtedly
| led to an increase in the death roll of
the population. The inhabitants of
Martinique have tried various means of
Kidding themselves Of the presence of
the deadly reptile. They tried the hog,
| so redoubtable in the case of the rattle
snake, with the result OF great mortali-
| ty among the hogs. Their last expert
ment was the importation of a number
of that little ferret-like animal from the
East Indies called the mongoose, which
successfully combats the deadly cobra,
| h1It c a trnua1ar of
tack of the cobra is one thing, and that
of the de-lance-whch wastes no
time fooing about on end, but lets out
at once-auite another" and so the
mongoose has taken no active steps to-
ward the determination of the fer-de-
lance.
A description of the general character
istics of this serpent may be taken as
typical of the entire viper family, in
which are included all the American
stakes, except the corals.
The fangs of the vipers are attached
to the fore-end of what may be termed
the jawbone or maxillary, in the hollow
of which Is contained the poison sac, the
contents of which are emitted through
hollow or groove in the fangs. Att
right angles to the maxillary, and at
tached to the plates by means of certain
muscles, is a narrow bone called the
transpalatine. The fangs lie normally
fiat, back against the palate, but when
the snake strikes a contraction of the
muscles of the transpalatine pushes the
latter against the maxillary, which, be-
ing movable revolves through about
quarter of a circle, carrying the fangs
with ii until theU
dicularly to the roof Of the mouth 1t
has been recently shown that the erec-
ton of the fangs is not a necessary con-
sequence of the opening of the mouth,
although most authorities who have
hitherto written upon the subject have
so stated. In the sase of the fer-de-
lance, the reptile lies in coil, using its
tail as a point dappul' and with the
fore part of it's body bent back upon it.
self in several coils, thus resembling
the rattlesnake. Suddenly it shoots for
ward its head with the rapidity of
lightning throwing open its jaws at an
angle of one hundred and eighty de-
siees, and thus it is seen that the fangs. |
which are erected till they are at right
angles to the jaw, must point straight |
at the object Of attack, and that if this !
objec, lies anywhere in the line between |
the commencement and completion of J
the thrust, it is bound to be struck fair
ly by tie points, especially as the ven
om-iniecting snap is not made until the
victim is struck or the thrust completed
The only American snake which be-
longs to the eapine family, the other
great group of poisonous serpents, is
the coral, denizen of the gulf states.
One of the main distinctions between
this group and the vipers lies in the
fact that the maxillary is practically
immovabe, and the fangs in conse-
quence permanently erect, so that the
snake strikes in a more or less pro-
nounced curve, and snaps at the object !
of attach. Unless this snap is made |
precisely at the right moment the
points Of the fangS will not meet, and
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