POISONOUS SNAKES OF NORTH AMERICA. 409 



seen resting on the low bianches of such trees as overhang the water, 

 into which they plunge on the slightest alarm, Catesby, he continues, 

 thinks they select these places to watch for their prey. They merely 

 choose them in order to bask in the sun ; for in those situations deprived 

 of trees, as the ditches of rice fields, their basking places are often on 

 dry banks. They are the terror of the negroes that labor about rice 

 plantations, where they are more dreaded than the Rattlesnake, which 

 only bites when irritated, or in self-defense, or to secure its prey; the 

 water moccasin, on the contrary, attacks everything that comes within 

 his reach, erecting his head and opening his mouth for some seconds 

 before he bites. 



ISTotwithstanding the fact that the poison of the Water Moccasin has 

 been found proportionately less virulent than that of the liattlesnake 

 and the Copperhead, the fear it ius^nres is well founded, for it is a much 

 larger aiul especially much heavier snake than the Copperhead. I do 

 not know the extreme length to which it may grow, but it probably 

 exceeds 4 feet considerably, as the largest specimen in the National 

 Museum collection measures 45| inches (1.160 m.) with a circumference 

 around the thickest part of the body of not less than 7i inches (190 

 mm.). Records of cases of Moccasin bites are rather scarce, however, 

 and the fatalities are probably not numerous. A serious case was 

 recently reported to the writer by Mr. E. P. Alexander, of (leorgetown, 

 S. C, of a woman bitten in one finger. On September 26, 1893, he 

 wrote again : 



The wouuiu I'ecovered, but suffered much for two weeks, flesh sloughing from 

 finger, so that amputation of the finger, or even of the hand, was seriously consid- 

 ered by the attending physician. 



The habits of the Water Moccasin have been studied very little in 

 their native haunts, but as this Crotalid seems to bear captivity better 

 than any of the others, there have been made very valuable observa- 

 tions in the Zoological Garden in Berlin by Rudolph Eifeldt.* He 

 obtained four specimens, which had been born in the Zoological Garden 

 in London, and reared there with great success. They became exceed- 

 ingly tame and gentle toward their keeper, who finally handled them 

 without fear in an almost reckless nuinner. They would take the food, 

 preferably fishes, but also other cold or warm blooded animals, or even 

 raw nieat, from the forceps in the hand of the keeper. Toward other 

 snakes, including Rattlesnakes, they were very savage, and, curiously 

 enough, their bite proved dangerous to other poisonous snakes, but 

 not to others of their own species. They would often fight among 

 themselves, chiefiy for a place in the water basin or during the pairing- 

 season. 



The pairing was observed by Efl'eldt repeatedly at various seasons, 

 in spring, summer, and even in the autumn as late as October 10, and 

 described by him in detail. A pair which he obtained in 1871 and 



* Zool. Garten, xv, 1874 (pp. 1-5). 



