SELOUS ON HABITS OF THE MASSASAUGA. 89 



29. Public Health Service in Michigan. Henry B. Baker, M. D. (Read by title.) 

 Biological Conference; joint program of the Academy of Science, and Michigan 



Schoolmasters' Club. 



Subject: Biological Teaching in the Secondary Schools— What Should be 

 Taught, How Much, and How? 



30. Botany. Paper by Professor C. A. Davis, of Alma. 



31. Paper by Miss F. M. Lyon, Chicago. 



Discussion opened by Professor V. M. Spaulding of the University. 



32. Zoology: Paper by Professor W. H. Munson of Hillsdale. 

 Discussion opened by Professor W. B. Barrows, of the Agricultural College. 



33. Physiology: Paper by Miss Alice Lyon of Detroit. 

 Discussion opened by Professor W. P. Lombard, of the University. 



34. Hygiene and Sanitary Science: Paper by Professor Delos Fall, of Albion. 

 Discussion opened by Professor Victor C. Vaughan. of the University. 



NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS REGARDING THE HABITS AND 



CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MASSASAUGA OR GROUND 



RATTLESNAKE. SISTRURUS CATENA TUS, DUR 



ING CAPTIVITY. 



BY PERCY S. SELOUS, GREENVILLE. 



(Read before the Academy, March 31, 1S97. Reprinted from Bull, de la Societe de 



France, vol. xxii. pp. 157-161, 1897.) 



Having kept these snakes now for several years — in fact I may say 

 that they have been a hobby with me — I have had considerable op- 

 portunity of studying them and their ways. Harmless snakes I had 

 often made pets of both here and in Europe, but without much regard 

 to scientific data; and my first massasauga soon showed me that the 

 habits of the one, were very different from those of the other. The first 

 thing I found out was that cold blooded food in any shape would not 

 be taken and although I have tried a great variety and under all sorts 

 of conditions, I have never yet been able to get a massasauga to touch 

 other than warm blooded prey. I have tried frogs, toads, various 

 snakes, grasshoppers, etc., without avail and although I believe that 

 the massasauga will take living birds, I have never yet succeeded in 

 making them devour anything but mice. 



Then again, the mode of seizing is so different. It matters little to a 

 striped snake where it catches a frog; fore or aft it goes down, and there 

 and then and alive. The massasauga on the contrary, if it be hungry, 

 strikes with lightning rapidity, inoculates its victim and as speedily with- 

 draws, at least in the great majority of cases. Once I saw one hold on for 

 a few seconds. In any case the prey is left and after scampering around 

 the cage gradually weakens, totters and succumbs. I have seen my 

 snakes do this scores of times and I can safely state that thirty seconds 

 is a fair average of life for the mouse, after being bitten. The snake 

 seems to have a good idea of how long the mouse will live, which is an 

 advantage if it can keep it in sight, but this it rarely does. As a rule 

 the mouse kicks itself down between the turf sod and the back or front 

 of the cage, tumbles into the water tank or crawls into some crevice. 



The snake, however, will ferret it out. Sometimes it reconnoiters a bit, 

 but rarely fails to locate the dead mouse. Now it is often necessary to 

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X 



