Show A Snake That Eats Eggs The funniest snake I know anything about is one found in Africa which lives upon eggs said Osteologist Lucas It has a curious projection downward from its backbone just behind the head which is like a tooth the extremity being actually tipped with enamel This toothlike enamel toothlke appendage ap-pendage has D most important function with relation to the creatures method of getting a living and it would be difficult to find a more astonishing illustration in nature of the adaptation of structure to necessity When the snake swallows an egg the latter ic passed down through the gullet until it encounters the sharp tooth I have spoken of which breaks the shell Thus not only is the food rendered easy for immediate im-mediate digestion but no portion of the fluid contents is lost as would be the case if the snake were obliged to bite into the egg with its mouth fangs It seems surprising how many snakes are able to swallow animals bigger than themselves until it is considered how particularly par-ticularly well nature has adapted to the purpose the structure of their jaws The lower jawbone instead of being in 3 single piece i merely connected in front by an elastic ligament so that the two halves are capable of great extension Again the halves of the lower jawbone are attached to the skull very far back so that the animal ani-mal can make an enormous gap Washington Wash-ington Letter |