297 



alarm. Recently, liowever, he cauglil. a rat and held it down 

 until it was dead. He only on one occasion bit more tlian once, 

 and probably (he mortal blow was the last, or third stroke, when 

 the rat died 30 minutes later. He t)nce killed and ate a small 

 snipe-like bird but there Avas nothing remarkable about the 

 operation. Thi.s snake has been called Serpr.iit a somuittes ; in 

 Venezuela it is known as the " Cascabel," and in Brazil as 

 " Cascarella" or "Maraca." In Trinidad there is a sjiakc com- 

 monly known as the " Cascabel dormillon," but it is nothing ])ut 

 the common Tree Boa and of course is not at all venomous, though 

 a very fierce reptile. 



One woi'd before I close these brief notes. A great deal has 

 been said about a certain power of fascination exercised by the 

 rattlesnake in pai-ticular and snakes in general. Animals intro- 

 duced into " Battles' " cage do not seem to be aware of his presence 

 and run over him without the slightest fear. It is only when the 

 snake strikes that they o.ppear to realize their position. 



February, 15th 1894. R. R. Mole. 



THE GOLDNEY PRIZE COWIPETITION. 



Prize Papek : 

 AK EXCURSION TO ST. ANN'S. 



My object in writing being simply to record the things 

 observed on ni}' excursion to St. Ann's, I will therefore, lie as 

 brief as possible in describing sceneries and other incidents that 

 may have occurred on the way. 



It was on the 28th day of May, the clock had just struck 

 six, when, opening my window, I was greeted by the pale trans- 

 lucent cheeks of dawn that gradually assumed brighter and 

 brighter hues, as the sun, slowly rising over the eastern hills, 

 distilled its soft and golden rays over the surrounding scenery. 



" This augurs well for us," said I to Leo, and, as we collected 

 our nets, bottles and other gear, being well equipped, we started 

 from the Convent of the Holy Name of Jesus. 



Here I must di-aw your attention to the magnificent 

 Eriodctidroii anjracfiiosiun (silk cotton tree) a fortnight ago 

 denuded of leaves, but rich in cotton, which, blown away by the 

 East wind, dropped on the green grass of the neighbouring 

 savannah, forming a natural carpet. 



On the west of this pasture is another in which is situated 

 the Victoria Institute and the Princes Building, the former 

 established in honour of the Jubilee of Her Most Gracious 

 Majesty the Queen, as a museum for the collection of the natural 



