Nov. 1, 1867.] 



II A R D W ICKE'S SCIENCE- GOSSIP. 



261 



The Rattlesnake. — It is rather surprising that 

 any person should, after the comments which have 

 been published upon the late sensational adventure 

 with the rattlesnake, be still inclined to bring for- 

 ward the subject as worthy of scientific discussion. 

 It is only necessary, I am sure, to refer your cor- 

 respondent " C. M." to the article "A Rattlesnake at 

 large," published in Land and Water for August 10, 

 1867, to convince him that the whole is a wretched 

 canard. In case, however, the periodical in 

 question should not be procurable, I beg leave to 

 add the following extracts, which more especially 

 bear reference to his query about the habits of the 

 reptile. The article commences, " To the Editor, — 

 Sir — A rare bit of penny-a-lining, copied from the 

 Liverpool Daily Mercury, has been going the round 

 of some of the newspapers under the above heading, 

 which must, indeed, excite the consternation of our 

 American cousins who dwell in the land of the 

 rattlesnake. Such nonsense is not worth repeating 

 in our columns, but people are in general so very 

 ignorant about snakes that they will believe, anything 

 said of them, no matter how absurd the exaggera- 

 tion. Re it understood that the rattlesnake is a 

 sluggish reptile, by no means rapid in its gait, and 

 most easily disabled by a blow on the spine. It 

 does not spring its rattle when in the act of pro- 

 gression, and one that had really got loose would 

 immediately make for the nearest retreat, aud be 



somewhat difficult to dislodge therefrom 



' On arriving opposite the caravan containing the 

 bonassus — an immense animal, weighing upwards of 

 two tons [the weight of a fine bull of its kiud, i.e., 

 the American bison, being about 14 cwt. !], the 

 rattlesnake made a spring, fastened (!) on the 

 bonassus, and hit it in the left nostril. The reptile 

 then let go its grip [grip!] and shaking its rattles(!) 

 glided through an opening between two of the 

 caravans, where some of Mr. Mander's grooms were 

 filling a cart with straw. To this cart was attached 

 a fine horse. The rattlesnake fastened (!) on the 

 off-fetlock of the horse, which immediately plunged 

 and reared to such an extent as to shake the reptile 

 off (!), and before it could move away it was crushed 

 to pieces beneath the hoofs of the horse.' Of 

 course the two large quadrupeds died in the course 

 of a few minutes, in frightful agonies, ' and were 

 buried in a field just outside Tuubridge Wells in the 

 latter part of the same day.' .... So many 

 parts of the story are palpably false, that we incline 

 to disbelieve the whole of it. It is not true that 

 any snake holds ou with a ' grip ' like a bull-dog. 

 The stroke aud the withdrawal of the fangs are 

 instantaneous ; and that a rattlesnake with its fangs 

 extracted would kill a mature bull bison and a fine 

 horse in succession, may do very well for people who 

 have not the necessary knowledge to criticise, but 

 it is quite incredible to the naturalist." A few parts 

 have been omitted in the above extract, but the pith 

 is there, and emanating as it does from the pen of 

 one of the first zoologists of the day, I offer no 

 apology for so long an extract, as it may serve to 

 dispel doubts in the minds of other inquirers besides 

 "C. M.," who are credulous enough to believe all they 

 read, and do not, as in your correspondent's case, 

 notice facts when at variance with their own expe- 

 rience or what they have read. — B. B. Sharpe, 

 Zoological .Society of London, Hanover Square, W. 

 N.R. — The bison is still alive, at Mr. Rice's, being 

 in perfect health last week (September 3). 



Worms— to Quit. — Can you inform me how to 

 get rid of worms which are ruining the grassplots 

 of my garden ?— /. W. W. 



The Chameleon.—" H. S." inquires whether the 

 chameleon is oviparous or viviparous. The follow- 

 ing quotation from "Clermont's Reptiles of Europe " 

 will furnish the reply. "The female lays about 

 thirty eggs in a hollow in the ground, and covers 

 them over with loose earth." Apropos of the 



J geographical range of this reptile, the same author 

 remarks, "Its geographical range extends along 

 the entire of the African shores of the Mediterranean, 

 but is confined to the northern portion of that 



I continent." Hence it is not a native of the Cape 

 of Good Hope, as " H. S." believes. 



Rotation of Embryo in Gastropods. — Will 

 you kindly inform me whether or not any researches 

 have been published concerning the development 

 and rotation of the ova of the Limnsea stagnalis 

 (fresh-water snail), or of the Planorbis ? If the 

 interesting changes which occur during the egg 

 state of these animals have been described, perhaps 

 you will kindly inform me in your Notices to Corre- 

 spondents where I may fiud such a description, and 

 by whom this subject has been treated. — M. A. P. 



Answer to "M. A. P." — Few points in the 

 development of molluscs have received more atten- 

 tion than those relating to the rotation of the 

 embryo of the lung-bearing Gastropods, and the 

 genera Lymnseus and Planorbis have beeu especially 

 studied in this particular. Carpenter in his 

 "Microscopy" refers to the rotation, and most 

 English writers on Comparative Anatomy have 

 described the phenomenon. I cannot call to mind 

 which of our English zoologists has gone minutely 

 into the question, but if my memory serves me, there 

 have been papers on it in the earlier numbers of the 

 Microscopical Journal. Abroad, it has formed the 

 subject of several valuable memoirs, of which the 

 following may be referred to by " M. A. P." with 

 advantage : — 



On Lymnmus, by Prevost, in the Annales des 

 Sciences Naturelles, xxx., 1833, p. 40. 



On Lymnceus and Planorbis, by Dr. Quatrefages, 

 in the Annales des Sciences Naturelles, ii., 1834, 

 p. 107. 



On Planorbis, by Jacquemin, in the Annales des 

 Sciences Naturelles, v., 1836, p. 117. 



On Lymnceus, bv Pouchet, Annales des Sciences 

 Naturelles, x., 183S, p. 63. 



Ou Lymnceus, Planorbis, and Helix, bv Rathke, in 

 Erorieps Neue Notizen, xxiv., 1842, p. 161.— H. L. 



Incarcerated Frogs. — Does not the paragraph 

 thus headed (p. 207) refute itself by its own in- 

 consistencies ? Bones are solid, muscles not trans- 

 parent, but man exaggerates much, and believes 

 much. Such correspondents act wisely in with- 

 holding their names. As a satire, the paragraph 

 might pass. Can it be aught else ? — C. M. 



Disguises of Insects. — The perusal of the article 

 thus entitled in Science-Gossip led me to institute 

 a very simple experimeut. I enclosed some cater- 

 pillars of the small white butterfly Pontia Rapse in 

 two boxes, one black and the other white in the 

 inside ; the consequence was that the colour of the 

 chrysalis was modified to suit the colour of the box. 

 I am aware that the chrysalis in question does not 

 invariably assume the hue of the surface to which it 

 is attached — as, for instance, I have seen nearly a 

 white chrysalis on a black wall, yet generally the 

 darker the surface, the darker the chrysalis. It 

 would be interesting to learn how far this is true of 

 other butterflies. — Harry C. Leslie. 



