2 82 . SNAKES. 



a stick, the head gave a sudden champ with its mouth,' thus 

 displaying the impulse to bite. He noticed the action of the 

 springing teeth ' when they are raised, which I take to be 

 only at the will of the snake to do mischief.' Strange to tell, 

 many of the above peculiarities have been described as ' new 

 to science' within forty years. 



But among those who wrote of our American colonies, 

 Lawson must not be omitted. Describing the ' Insects of 

 Carolina,' viz. alligators, rattlesnakes, water snakes, swamp 

 snakes, frogs, great loach, lizards, worms, etc., he tells us 

 what was then new about the subject of this chapter. 



' The Rattlesnakes are found on all the Main of America 

 that I ever had any Account of: being so called from the 

 Rattle at the End of their Tails, which is a Connexion of 

 jointed Coverings of an excrementitious Matter, betwixt the 

 Substance of a Nail and a Horn, though each Tegmenf is very 

 thin. Nature seems to have designed these on purpose to 

 give Warning of such an approaching Danger as the venom- 

 ous Bite of these Snakes is. Some of them grow to a very 

 great Bigness, as six Feet in Length ; their Middle being the 

 Thickness of the Small of a lusty Man's Leg. They are of 

 an orange, tawny, and blackish Colour on the Back, differing 

 (as all Snakes do) in Colour on the Belly ; being of an Ash 

 Colour inclining to Lead. The Male is easily distinguished 

 from the Female by a black Velvet Spot on his Head ; and 

 besides his Head is smaller-shaped and long. Their Bite is 

 venomous if not speedily remedied ; especially if the Wound 

 be in a Vein, Nerve, Tendon, or Sinew, when it is very 

 difficult to cure. The Indians are the best Physicians for 

 the Bite of these, and all other venomous Creatures of this 



