Say on Herpetology. 263 
the age of an individual cannot be determined from their number. 
Mr. Rubens Peale informed me, that a female of Crotalus horri- 
_ dus, Beauv. durissus, Daud. which lived in his Museum more than 
fourteen years, had eleven joiats to her rattle when first in his 
_ possession; that several joints were acquired and _ lost annually, 
_ and that at her death, which occurred last year, she had the same 
number as when brought to the Museum: she had, however, dur- 
ing that time received an accession of four inches to her length. 
Her death was occasioned by an abortion. 
The C. adamanteus, Beauvois. Rhombifer, Daud. is by much 
the largest of our North American serpents, and doubtless 
— Species which Catesby saw a specimen of, eight feet 
Crotalus miliarius varies in some characters from those laid 
down by authors. A specimen within my view has five dorsal 
_ Series, of alternate, irregular, orbicular black spots, those of 
the intermediate series are obsolete, and slightly connected across 
the back, those of the vertebral series have not red centres, and 
are edged with a white line; the ventral spots are disposed ad- 
Ventitiously, so as not to be traced into longitudinal series ; they 
Ae large, black, irregularly orbicular, and occupy about one half 
of the surface, which is white. Ventral plates 140 ; subcaudal, 
38, of which the six terminal ones are bifid. Joints o ‘the rattle 
ped but one transverse contraction on the middle 0 each, be- 
‘ides the terminal contraction. ‘Total length 1 foot 4} inches, tail 
two inches. It appears to be more vindictive than the two spe- 
cies before mentioned. ‘The individual here noticed we encoun- 
‘ered in East Florida; he struck at Mr. W. Maclure and myself 
successively as we passed by him, without any previous intima- 
tion of his presence, owing to the inaudible smallness of his 
Tattle, and its having but three joints; he was killed by Mr. 
Peale, (whom we preceded) while preparing for another assault. 
This incident is noted as a contrast to the anecdote of the Co- 
uber heterodon. 
Salamandra alleganiensis, Daud. appears to be synonymous — 
ce S. gigantea of Dr. Barton. It was first described by Mr. 
atreille in Detery. Ed. of Buffon, tom. 11. The name allega- 
