398 SNAKES. 



difficulties, the clearing away of which was accomplished 

 only by slow degrees, as one book after another offered new 

 contradictions with still other varieties of spelling. Without 

 doubt this perplexing reptile was viperine, rough, angular- 

 headed, crotaline, and probably hideous ; but as for colouring 

 there were many doubts about that. 



After several years' familiarity w^ith the 7iaine of this 

 puzzling ' Jararaca,' and curiosity increasing at a correspond- 

 ing ratio, the reader can imagine the effect produced by 

 unexpectedly seeing at the London Zoological Gardens one 

 day in September 1880 a new label to one of the cages 

 in the Ophidarium thus inscribed, * Craspedocephalus 

 Braziliensis. The Jarraracca. Presented by Dr. 

 Stradling.' 



A live Jararaca at last ! Now we shall know all about it. 



But how is this } The serpent before me was not a viper, 

 not rough-headed, not a Bothrops, because it had only one 

 pair of nostrils. It had smooth, polished scales, large, 

 beautiful, round eyes, with no 'red spots* and not a spice of 

 venom or of viperishness about it. And I stood staring and 

 wondering, and — I must confess — disappoijited ^at th.\s nitok- 

 looking, smallish snake being a representative of the terrible, 

 * formidable ' picture that had been conjured up. * I don't 

 believe that's a Jararaca ! ' were my inward conclusions. ' I 

 am sure it isn't ! It cant be. It does not agree in any 

 way.' Then came the keeper to the cage, to tell me of 

 this new and valuable addition ; but I only repeated aloud 

 my already firm convictions. 



* Here's the gentleman who brought it from Brazil, and 

 he ought to know,' returned the keeper in justifiable argu- 



