SELOUS ON HABITS OF THE MASSASAUGA. 91 



WhiKst on llie subject of sminise, one otlioi- niattei* occurs to me. 

 Last summer several massasaugas were killed in Greenville, and closely 

 and naturally perlia])s, it was hinted that I had been careless and allowed 

 one to escape, for such a thin}»' had not been known for a long time. 

 But mine were all safe. AVe all know that snakes and rattle-snakes 

 too, will congregate to den up and that they come long distances and 

 liybernate year after year in the same spot. There is another 

 instinct as firmly instilled as that of migration; that which en- 

 ables the male to locate the female and at long distances. May 

 this not \\e the solution of the massasauga being found right in 

 the center of civilization? If a dog or a moth be thus attracted, why 

 not a rattle snake? Unfortunately I had no opportunity of examining 

 the specimens killed, all I could see was the rattles. If they had proved 

 to be males, my theory would have been, in my opinion, considerably 

 strengthened. 



In disposition, I have found the massasauga particularly docile. For 

 a dog they appear to have a special antipathy. One of these has only 

 to sniff around the cages to set the whole colony rattling. Their sense 

 of smell appears to be particularly acute and they will detect a dog 

 at the back of the cage directly. For a cat they do not seem to enter- 

 tain the same dislike. 



On the appvoach of a thunder storm they always become restless and 

 noisy and are excellent barometers in this respect. I have stated before 

 that about half a minute is the limit of a mouse's life after it is bitten. 

 A sheep died in twenty -Ave minutes and beyond this I have not had any 

 personal experience with regard to the power of the venom. But this 

 was not a captive snake and as the sheep trod on it, it was naturally 

 enraged and without doubt the blow would be given with all the more 

 vehemence and a more copious supply of virus injected. 



Last summer I had rather an uncomfortable thing happen. I was 

 skinning a massasauga and wishing to preserve head and fangs, so that 

 I could set it up open mouthed and being also chary of coming in con- 

 tact with the teeth, for it had been killed lighting and I knew the fangs 

 would have more or less venom on them, I tied a piece of thread around 

 the head to keep it from me and attached it to a nail whilst I pulled 

 gently at the skin. The thread, however, broke and down came the 

 head on my hand inflicting a slight puncture. I did not relish this at all, 

 but set iunnediately to sucking the place, and for a quarter of an hour 

 or twenty minutes, I do not think I desisted. I never felt the least in- 

 convenience from it, but I shall be more careful in future. 



I shall probably be set down as exceedingly foolhardy, but I have 

 several times held a mouse by the tail with my naked hand and allowed 

 my tamest snake to strike it. I do not know that I would do this with 

 them all. 



Addendum: (November, 1S98.) 



As before slated my rattlesnakes had fed on mice only, now tliey 

 take birds with avidity. Some time since, I put a sparrow into the cage 

 containing two of my largest massasaugas. Both struck at it the same 

 instant. I would say here that when a snake strikes a mouse it releases 

 it at once; when it strikes a bird it holds on till it is dead, the reason for 

 which is not hard to see. One struck the bird, the other the other snake, 



