POISONOUS SNAKES OF NORTH AMERICA. 421 



paratively little danger, a person bitten would act very foolishly were be 

 to neglect to pay proper attention to the wound and to apply as soon 

 as possible proper remedies, as otherwise lie might pay dearly enough 

 for his carelessness. 



Although, as a rule, not fatal to man, the Ground Kattler is not harm- 

 less enough to secure it against destruction wherever it may be found. 

 It is undoubtedly useful in destroying a great quantity of small rodents, 

 but the protection of the other innocuous snakes will compensate for 

 the killing of any number of Ground Eattlers. 



' Genus CROTALUS ' Linn. 



The Rattlksxakes. 



1758.— Cro/rt/(/.s, LinX/EUS, Syst. Nat., 10 ed., I, p. 214 (type C. horridiis). 



1764. — Crotalophorus, Houttuyx, Linn. Natunrl. Hist., \i, p. 290 (emend.). 



1768. — Caiidisona, LAunENTi, Syn. Rept., p. 92 (same ty])e). 



1818. — CVo/«?i««s, Rafixesque, Am. Month. Mag., iii (p. 446),iv, p. 41 (emend.). 



1830. — Uro2>so2)hus, Wagler, Sj'st. Amph., p. 176 (type C. triseriatus). 



1843. — Urocrotalon, Fitzixger, Syst. Rept., p. 29 (type C. durissus Linn.). 



1861.— Ajyloaspis, Cope, Proc. Phila. Acad., 1861, p. 206 (type C. Upida). 



1875. — JSchmoplinjs, Coues, Wheeler's- Snrv. W. 100 Mer., v, p. 609 (type C. 



cerastes). 

 1883. — HajjJoaspis, Cove, Proc. Phila. Acad., 1883, p. 13 (emend.). 



There has, at various times, been some confusion in the application 

 of the generic terms of this and the following genus. From 1861 to 

 1875 Prof. Cope used Laurenti's Caudisona for the present group, 

 restricting' Crotalns to the Ground Eattlers, following Fleming's example 

 of 1822. In 1875, however, he suddenly reversed the two names, 

 employing Caudisona for the Ground Eattlers. This latter has later 

 been exchanged for Crotalopliorus, as will be shown under the follow- 

 ing genus. 



The case is very simple. When Linnjeus, in 1758, first applied the 

 binominal nomenclature he did not know or name any of the ground 

 rattlers, consequently the name Crotalus can only be used as done 

 here. Houttuyn's Crotalophoriis is identical with Linna^i Crotalns of 

 the tenth edition of his Systema IS^aturae, being, in fact, simply an 

 emendation and, therefore, nothing but a synonym. The status of 

 Laurenti's Caudisona is exactly similar. 



The geographical distribution of the genus Crotalus is highly inter- 

 esting. 



Jointly with the other genus, Sistrnrus, the Eattlesnakes are peculiar 

 to the New World. Their center of distribution appears to be the table- 

 land of Mexico with its extension northward into the southwestern 

 United States, at least 8 out of a total of the 17 species constituting 

 the genus Crotalus occurring at, or near, the boundary between the 

 United States and the Mexican Eepublic. 



* From the Greek Kporalov (Krotalon), a rattle. 



