POISONOUS SNAKES OF NORTH AMERICA. 433 



found playing with and carrying about live Rattlesnakes without 

 having been hurt.* 



It is somewhat curious- that the breeding habits of this species are 

 still almost unknown. At least, very little definite information is on 

 record. The time of pairing is difficult to ascertain. The number of 

 young born at one birth appears to be about uine. The largest of a 

 number of embryos preserved by Prof. S. F. Baird (U. S. Nat. Mus., 

 No. 1292) and apparently ready to be born is about 245 mm. (9^ inches) 

 long, with a diameter of 12 mm. (one-half inch). 



The Diamond Rattlesnake. 

 Croialiis adamantens, Bcauvois. 

 Plate 10. 

 1799. — Crolatus adamanteus, t Beauvois, Trans. Am. Philos. Soc. iv, p. 368. — Say, 

 Sillim. Am. Journ. Sc, i, 1819, p. 263. — Holbrook, N. Am. Herpet., 1 ed., 

 II, p. 77 (1838).— HoLBKOOK, N. Am. Herpet., 2 ed., ili, p. 17 (1842).— 

 De Kay, Zool. New York, in, p. 57 (1842). — Baird and Girard, Cat. N. 

 Am. Serp., p. 3 (1853).— Le Conte, South. Med. Surg. Journ., ix, 1853 (p. 

 664).— Baird. Pac. R. R. Rep., x, Reptiles, p. 14, pi. xxiv, fig. 2 (1859).— 

 Jan, Rev. Mag. Zool., 1859, extr. p. 28.— Jan, Elenc. Sist. Ofid., p. 123 

 (1863).— Cope, in Wheeler's Surv. W. 100 Mer., v, p. 534 (1875).— Cope, 

 Proc. Am. Philos. Soc, 1867 (p. 64).— Cope, Proc. U. S.Nat. Mus. xiv, 

 1891, p. 689 (1892).— True, in Hammond's South Carolina, p. 235 (1883).— 

 Garman, Rept. Batr. N. Am., i, Ophid., pp. 112, 171 (1883). — Garman, 

 Bull. Essex. Inst., xix, 1887, p. 122. — Yarrow, in Buck's Ref. Handb. 

 Med Sc, VI, p. 166 (1888).— Jordan, Man. Vert. North. U. S., 5 ed., p. 

 199 (1888).— Barringer, Yen. Kept. U. S., p. 4 (1891).— Williams, 

 Science, xx, Dec. 16, 1892, p. 345. — Lcennberg, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus.,xvil, 

 1894, p. 335.— H. Garman, Bull. Essex. Inst., xxvi, 1894, p. 36.—Cau- 

 disona adamaniea, Cope, in Mitchell's Res. Yen, Rattlesn., p. 121 (1861). — 

 Cope, Proc. Phila. Acad., 1866, p. 309. 

 1802. — Croiidus rliomhifer, Latreille, Hist. Nat. Rept., in, p. 197.^Daudin, Hist. 

 Nat, Rept., v, p. 323 (1803). — Dumkril et Bibuon, Erp6t. Gen^r., vii, 

 p. 1470 (1854).— DuGfe.s, Naturaleza, iv, 1879 (p. 22). 

 1802. — Crotahis /io>T(rf«s, Latreille, Hist. Nat. Rept., in, p. 199 (but not p. 186; 

 nor of Linn. 1758). — Harlan, Journ. Phila. Acad., v, 1827, p. 370. — Har- 

 lan, Med. Phys. Res. (p. 133) (1835). 

 1802. — Crotahis durissus, Shaw, Gen. Zool., in, p. 333 (not of Linn. 1758). 

 1853. — Croialus terrificus, Le Conte, Proc. Phila. Acad., 1853 (p. 419) (not of Laur. 



1768).— Cope, Proc. Phila. Acad., 1859, p. 337. 

 1875. — Croialus adamanteus, subsp. adamanteus, Cope, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. No. 1, 

 Check -list, pp. 33, 79.— Cope, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., xi, 1888, p. 393.— 

 Cope, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., xiv, 1891, p. 690 (1892).— Yarrow, Bull. U. S. 

 Nat. Mus. No. 24, pp. 12, 75 (1883). 

 Figures. — ^Beauvois, Trans. Am. Philos. Soc, iv, pi. facing p. 380, upper figure 

 (1799).— Shaw, Gen. Zool., in, pi. lxxxix (1802).— Daudin, Hist. Nat. Rept. v 

 pi. LX, figs. 22, 23; pi. lxix, fig. 2 (1803;. — Holbrook, N. Am. Herpet., 1 ed., 

 II, pl.xvi (1838); 2 ed., Ill, pi. II (1842). — Dumeril et Bibron, Erpet. Gen., 

 Atlas, pi. Lxxxiv, fig. 3 (1854). — Baird, Pac. R. R. Rep., x, Reptiles, pi. xxiv, 

 fig. 2 (1859).— Jan, Icon. Ophid., livr. 46, pL ii, fig. 2 (but not fig. 1) (1874).— 

 Yarrow, in Buck's Ref. Handb. Med. Sc, vi, pi. xxvii (1888). 



* See Forest and Stream, xxxvii, Aug. 6, 1891, p. 44. 



t From the Latin adamanteus, Diamond-shaped; lozenge-shaped. 



H. Mis. 184, pt. 2 28 



