SOURCE: "The Hothouse World" by Arthur K. Barnes   (Thrilling Wonder Stories, October 1937)

DESCRIPTION: "“Natives. Those scaly, fish-faced things that skulk around just out of sight in the fog? ...“That's no joke,” Strike said with a touch of bitterness. “It's a fact. Ever since Murray made his first trip to Venus the natives have gone for gold teeth in a big way. They took Murray for a god, you know, and emulated him in many ways. “He had several gold teeth, relics of childhood dentistry, so the natives promptly scraped up some of the cheaply impure gold that's found around here and made caps for their teeth." ("The Hothouse World" by Arthur K. Barnes)

NOTES: The Venusians are not well-seen in the story but they can be detected by their gold teeth which show up on sensors. The Venusians worship the Murri. They also attack the animal-hunters with nerve gas and poison darts.

HISTORY: Barnes' tale is remonscient (in a good way) of the planetary tales of Stanley G. Weinbaum. His Venus has been well-thought out. See also The Murri, The Rotifer,The Shovel-Mouth, The Whip, and Whiz-Bang Beetles.

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