The Rattlesnakes 



Variations. — The ground-colour varies considerably. Some 

 specimens arc almost black. A specimen examined, from the 

 Beaver Mountains, in Utah, is pale green, with sooty black 

 saddles on tiie back and none upon the sides. The blotches 

 contained none of the ground-colour as is usually the case. 



Dimensions. — An adult specimen, from Beaver County, 

 Utah, and having a rattle consisting of five uniform segments, 

 showed the following measurements: 



Total Length 34 inches. 



Tail, exclusive of rattle 2 J 



Greatest Diameter i\ " 



Width of Head i J " 



Length of Head i| 



Distribution. — The Pacific region, from southern British 

 Columbia to southern California. . Also occurs in Idaho, Nevada 

 and Utah. It inhabits mountainous regions to an altitude of 

 1 1,000 feet. 



Habits. — Similar to the prairie rattlesnake. It is hardy 

 in captivity. 



THE TIGER RATTLESNAKE 



Crotalus iigris, (Kennicott) 



The Tiger Rattlesnake attains a moderate length — seldom 

 more than three and a half feet. Its conformation does not 

 materially differ from that of the prairie and Pacific rattles- 

 snakes. 



Colouration. — Yellowish gray, with a series of small and 

 not very distinct blotches on the back and on each side, for the 

 forward third of the body; on the latter two-thirds, these blotches 

 juse into regular cross-bands, producing a strongly barred effect. 

 There is usually a dark bar from the eye to the angle of the mouth. 



Several specimens from the mountains of southwestern 

 Arizona looked quite black upon a gross examination. Ex- 

 amined closely, the pale ground-colour appeared only as dull gray 

 bars on the sides of the latter portion of the body. 



Dimensions. — The largest specimen examined was forty 

 inches long. Its proportions were rather more slender than the 

 Pacific rattlesnake. 



Distribution. — Desert mountains of Arizona, Nevada and 

 southern California. 



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