SERPENTS OF THE NORTHEASTERN STATES 29 



the copperhead, but is more slender and the blotches are irregularly 

 rounded and narrowing as they approach the sides, instead of spread- 

 ing widely as with the copperhead. 



While the bite of the copperhead is very dangerous and there are 

 records — although they are rare — of deaths from such injuries, it is 

 not nearly so poisonous as the timber rattlesnake. Its fangs are pro- 

 portionately shorter, its venom not so virulent, and the amount of 

 poison injected into a bite of lesser quantity, because of the serpent's 

 smaller size. In habits it is very quiet, preferring to lie perfectly still 

 when an intruder enters its lair and to depend on its pattern and 

 colors closely resembling the fallen leaves around it to avoid detec- 

 tion. Seldom will it make any attempt to strike, unless very definitely 

 annoyed or attacked, or if it is stepped on. Most of the cases of cop- 

 perhead bites which have come to our attention have resulted from 

 the latter condition, and have been inflicted on persons wearing low 

 shoes, many of the bites being on or near the ankles. If a copper- 

 head fears it is about to be attacked, it will set up a rapid, vibrating 

 movement of the tail, and among dried leaves this produces a distinct 

 buzzing sound, readily heard for about fifteen feet. It will coil and 

 fight bravely if cornered, but at the first opportunity it will turn 

 quickly and glide to safety in some crevice. 



Distribution is more extensive than with the rattlesnake, since its 

 protective coloration and more secretive habits have preserved it from 

 extinction in many places. Copperheads are still found along the top 

 and at the base of the Palisades of the Hudson, while the rattlesnake 

 appears to have been extinct in that area for close to fifty years. 

 Throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey the copperhead is rather 

 generally distributed except in regions of intensive cultivation. There 

 are various areas of New York State where the species has not been 

 recorded. It is common from the latitude of northern Westchester 

 County well up the Hudson and past the easterly border of the Catskill 

 area, also in counties to the west. While showing a decided preference 

 for mountain areas, as illustrated by its abundance in elevated regions 

 of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut, it does not occur in the 

 Catskill Mountains proper, although in the vicinity of Phoenicia and 

 on Tremper Mountain it is common enough, and in but few portions 

 of the Berkshires, nor is it found in the general area of the Schwan- 

 gunk Mountains in Sullivan County, except on the easterly side of the 

 Neversink River. However, it is quite evident and increasing in 

 abundance along the Delaware River. It is common in Connecticut, 

 both along the shore and in elevated regions, also in the coastal area 

 of Rhode Island. The species does not extend north of central Massa- 

 chusetts; hence it may be eliminated from consideration in the States 

 of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. 



Ledgy, wooded hills, with a base of wild, damp meadows, are the 

 favorite prowling grounds of this snake, as it searches for small 



