THE TAIL OF A SNAKE. 175 



Unfortunately, in mentioning the ' Horn snake,' many 

 subsequent writers, seizing on the marvellous rather than 

 the rational, have omitted the qualifying ^it is said to inflict 

 a wound,' and Catesby's exposition of the absurdity ; thus 

 handing down as a fact that the tail was truly a terrible 

 weapon ! 



It was probably this water viper which Chateaubriand 

 had in his mind when, towards the end of that century, he 

 described the * Prickly snake, short and thick. It has a 

 sting in its tail, the wound of which is mortal ! ' Chateau- 

 briand was much quoted for a long period. 



Dr. J. E. Holbrooke, in his North American Herpetology^ 

 published at New York in 1842, corroborates all Catesby 

 further said regarding the fish-loving tastes of the ' Thorn- 

 tail ' snake, and which obtained for it the specific name 

 piscivoriis. It frequents damp and swampy places, and is 

 never seen far from water. In the summer (during Catesby's 

 time), great numbers might be seen lying on the low boughs 

 of trees overhanging a river, whence they would drop into 

 the water and pursue the fish with great swiftness. Few 

 fish exceed its velocity in swimming. Cenchris or Tri- 

 gonocephahis piscivoncs is the name by which American 

 herpetologists now recognise it. It is becoming rare where 

 formerly it abounded, but is still found in the wilder 

 districts of the less settled States, and in the hot weather 

 may be seen lying motionless on the low branches, and 

 often so like a pQrtion of the bough as not to be 

 observed till the sudden plunge tells that a deadly snake 

 was close at hand. It is a cannibal besides, and other snakes 

 are afraid of it and give it a wide berth. The horny spine 



