152 SNAKES. 



will that is felt in every curved line.' There is some likeness 

 to the 'thousand personal activities of a regiment of soldiers 

 on their winding way.* He has watched the creature 

 ' melting into movements so intricate and delicate that the 

 lithe and limbless thing looks like gossamer incarnate.' 



This Pine snake is very smooth, and in the excited actions 

 thus graphically described, it makes no noise like the little 

 Indian viper ; but Mr. Lockwood's words are so appropriate 

 to both snakes that the reader has only to add in imagina- 

 tion the rustling noise that accompanies the quivering echis. 



Among other of the ophidians remarkable for their hissing 

 is Psauwphis sibilans, the ' hissing sand snake,' a very slender 

 little creature. Several mentioned by the earlier naturalists 

 as ' the hissing snake,' are evidently Heterodons. Catesby, 

 Lawson, and others mention one as the ' blowing viper ; ' 

 Blmiser of the Dutch, also the ' chequered ' or ' spreading- 

 adder,' which leaves no difficulty in identifying Heterodon 

 platyrJiiiws. An American writer indulges in a figure of 

 speech while describing this little Coluber by saying, ' It 

 emits a succession of hisses, "'sibilant sounds," similar to 

 letting off steam from a small steam engine.' He at the 

 same time admits that it is ' harmless and inoffensive in 

 spite of its threatening aspect when flattening its head.' 

 This is the ' spread head ' alluded to in chap, xxii., an 

 unfortunate demonstration of alarm which has gained for 

 it its venomous titles. Several of this species have from 

 time to time been added to the collection at the Zoological 

 Gardens, and the chief drawback to their anticipated attrac- 

 tions is that they so soon become tame and peaceful that 

 you can scarcely provoke them to exhibit their reputed 



