424, French National Inflitute. 
PROCEEDINGS OF THE FRENCH NATIONAL INSTITUTE, 
IN the above fitting C. Paliffot Beauvoir read a memoir 
on the rattle-fmake. The author afferts that this reptile is, 
not fo terrible, nor of fo ferocious a nature, as is commonly 
believed. There are even certain times of the year when it, 
is extremely gentle, and will fuffer itfelf to be laid hold of 
with. the hand... C. Paliffot caught nine rattle-fnakes in the 
courfe of two hours, while hunting with an American, in 
the United States; and he faw one at the houfe of the fame 
American, which had been kept_there for five years. Some 
have pretended that the females devour their young;. but 
C. Paliffot fays that they only place them in their mouth, 
and carry them in that manner when threatened with 
danger. As a proof of this, he relates the following curious. 
anecdote: one day he faw a female rattle-fnake accompanied 
by five young ones of about the fize of the barrel of a quill. 
The young ones, frightened by the noife which he made, 
fook fhelter in the mouth of the mother, which carried 
them to a little diftance. Having followed and concealed 
himfelf, the young recovered courage; quitted their retreat 
and began to {port on the grafs, till, being alarmed by the 
noife which he again made, they returned to their former 
afylum. This fcene was repeated feveral times, and 
C. Paliffot declares that different people told him they had 
been witneffes of the fame thing. 
C. Peyre read a memoir on the danger to which the 
National Library is expofed from fire, owing to the buildings 
in its vicinity. 
C. Teffier gave an account of the refearches he had made 
on the ordinary and poflible duration of geftation or preg- 
nancy, The author made a great many experiments on the 
females of different animals, fuch as cows, mares, fwine, 
rabbits, &c.. In more than a hundred cows the time of 
geftation varied from eight months twenty days to ten 
months feyen days. Thofe made on mares and rabbits 
. q gave 
