one on each side. These teeth are hollow and crooked like a
cock's spur. They are also loose or springing in the mouth, and not
fastened in the jaw bone as all other teeth are. The hollow has a vent,
also, through by a small hole a little below the point of the tooth.
These two teeth are kept lying down along the jaw, or shut like a spring
knife, and don't shrink up as the talons of a cat or panther. They have
also over them a loose thin film or skin of a flesh color, which rises
over them when they are raised, which I take to be only at the will of
the snake to do injury. This skin does not break by the rising of the
tooth only, but keeps whole till the bite is given, and then is pierced
by the tooth, by which the poison is let out. The head being laid upon
the hogshead, I took two little twigs or splinters of sticks, and having
turned the head upon its crown, opened the mouth, and lifted up the fang
or springing tooth on one side several times, in doing of which I at
last broke the skin. The head gave a sudden champ with its mouth,
breaking from my sticks, in which I observed that the poison ran down in
a lump like oil, round the root of the tooth. Then I turned the other
side of the head, and resolved to be more careful to keep the mouth open
on the like occasion, and observe more narrowly the consequence. For it
is observed, that though the heads of snakes, terrapins and such like
vermin, be cut off, yet the body will not die in a long time after--the
general saying is, till the sun sets. After opening the mouth on the
other side, and lifting up that fang also several times, he endeavored
to give another bite or champ; but I kept his mouth open, and the tooth
pierced the film and emitted a stream like one full of blood in blood
letting, and cast some drops upon the sleeve of the carpenter's shirt,
who had no waistcoat on. I advised him to pull off his shirt, but he
would not, and received no harm; and tho' nothing could then be seen of
it upon the shirt, yet in washing there appeared five green specks,
which every washing appeared plainer and plainer, and lasted so long as
the shirt did, which the carpenter told me was about three years after.
The head we threw afterwards down upon the ground, and a sow came and
eat it before our faces, and received no harm. Now I believe had this
poison lighted upon any place of the carpenter's skin that was scratched
or hurt, it might have poisoned him. I take the poison to rest in a