THE SNAKES 357 



course of the serpent's path we at once recognized it to 

 be that of a rattlesnake, and, from its width of fully 

 three inches, a Diamond-back of great size. Nor was 

 this the only discovery. A little distance on was an- 

 other path of a snake, wider and more deeply imprinted 

 in the sand. 



And so we realized that after we had gone on, the 

 slayer of the rabbit had crossed the trail, devoured its 

 prey and with heavy body dragged the scaly length back 

 into the thicket and away in the hammock to hide under 

 the leaves of some dwarf palmetto. 



Many times as we afterward passed that spot we 

 searched for the monster, and without success. 



The Texas Rattlesnake, or Western Diamond 

 Rattlesnake, C. atrox, ranges from the sub-arid 

 regions of Texas westward to California. It is the 

 commonest rattlesnake along the Mexican boundary. 

 The entire coloration is paler, of more faded appearance 

 than the big southeastern species to which it is closely 

 related, while the tail is chalky white with bold black 

 rings. Following are the measurements of a big. speci- 

 men exhibited in the Zoological Park : — 



Total length 71% inches. 



Girth 9Vz inches. 



Weight 9% pounds. 



The common Crotalus of the Plains Region, the 

 Prairie Rattlesnake, C. confluentus, may be recog- 

 nized by a series of rounded and well-separated blotches 

 on the back; the body color is yellowish brown, the 

 blotches darker. The Pacific Rattlesnake, C. ore- 

 gonus, has a similar pattern, though wider bars under 

 the eye; some specimens are black. Neither of these 

 snakes grows much longer than three and a half feet. 

 They range southward to Utah and northward slightly 

 over the boundary of the United States. 



