the Ratthfnahe, and other American Serpents. 195 



be altered by circumftances;" that is, that the reptile whilft 

 endeavouring to obtain its prey (onielimes iliakes its rattle 

 and fometinies keeps it ftill. I am now, however, fully per- 

 fuaded that the latter is the general cafe ; and the more fo, 

 becaufe it feems to be afccrtamed that the rattlefnake feldom 

 fhakes his rattle unlefs when he is irritated. 



If then this ferpent does not always, nor even generally, 

 move his rattle at the lime he is watching for his prey, it is, 

 I think, fomewhat unphilofophical to afcribe fo much to the 

 *' hilling noife" of the inftrument as Mr, Bhimenbach has 

 done. " Thislazv animal, when lying on the ground, might 

 certainly," fays the profefiTor, "emphy that fingular organ for 

 enticing animals, as well as the ceraftes employs its horns for 

 the fame purpofe, at leait according to common report." 



I will readily allow, that if the ceraftes of tlgypt is capable 

 of charming by means of the horns upon his head, the rattle- 

 fnake might, without much ftreich of the imagination, be 

 fuppofed capable of charming by means of the horny bells 

 upon his tail. But here Mr. Blumenbach attempts the fo- 

 lution of one difficulty by having recourfe to another diffi- 

 culty; or, rather,»he feems difpofed to cut the knot of faf- 

 cination, as it rcfpcfts the rattlefnake, by means of a ftory 

 which has never been proved to be a faft, and which, I 

 cannot but think, is one of the many improbable tales in 

 natural hiftory. [ know it is fanftioned by Pliny* and So- 

 linus. But, alas! how many hundred anile (lories has Pliny 

 told ! and who ^es not know that Solinus is of^en thefervile 

 copier of Hiny ? 



In the difcuffion of curious queftions like the prefent, I 

 can feel pleafurc even in furnifliing my opponent with imple- 

 ments with wliich to defend himfclf. With this difpofiiion 

 of mind J will here mention a fuppofed facl, which is a good 

 deal fimilar to th^t related of the ceraftes. I do not doubt 

 that it is as worthy of belief. Tliere inhabits the lakes and 

 rivers of manv parts of North America a very curious fpecies 

 of efox or pike, wliioi* is comniunly kno\vn by the name of 

 the car (l(h or bill fiili. The upper jaw Is lengthened out 

 into a Ion? bony roftrum; or protuberance, which has given 

 it the nanTe of bill fjh. Although this flfti is known to live 

 almoft entirely upon uihi-r rilii, to which he proves very de- 

 ftructive, we are tolJ that ibe gar hide-; hinifelf in the reeds 

 in fuch a manner, that nothmg but the curious roftrum, 

 v.hich he thrulls out of the vy^ter in a perpendicular pofilion, 



• " Ccraflis corpore eminere'cornicul;! f«pc quadiigfiTiina : (juoiuin 

 mgtu.'reliqiio corpore. otcultdto, follcitcnt ad le aves." C. Piinii Sccuiidi 

 t'atu alii Hillorix Lib. viii. cap. %■>,■ 

 .■ U i, can 



