﻿DANGEROUS 
  REPTILES 
  — 
  COCHRAN 
  281 
  

  

  The 
  coral 
  snake 
  is 
  attractively 
  colored 
  with 
  bright 
  red, 
  yellow, 
  and 
  

   black 
  transverse 
  rings 
  on 
  its 
  body 
  (pi. 
  1, 
  frontispiece, 
  and 
  pi. 
  2, 
  fig. 
  1) 
  . 
  

   The 
  snout 
  from 
  the 
  eyes 
  forward 
  is 
  black. 
  If 
  in 
  killing 
  the 
  snake 
  the 
  

   pattern 
  of 
  the 
  head 
  is 
  lost, 
  the 
  coral 
  snake 
  may 
  be 
  identified 
  by 
  its 
  

   black 
  rings 
  being 
  bordered 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  by 
  a 
  yellow 
  ring, 
  while 
  in 
  

   the 
  harmless 
  species 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  yellowish 
  ring 
  which 
  is 
  bordered 
  on 
  

   each 
  side 
  by 
  a 
  black 
  ring. 
  There 
  are 
  three 
  subspecies 
  of 
  Micrurus 
  

   fulvius 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  the 
  typical 
  form 
  occurring 
  from 
  south- 
  

   eastern 
  North 
  Carolina 
  south 
  throughout 
  Florida 
  and 
  the 
  Gulf 
  States 
  

   to 
  the 
  Rio 
  Grande, 
  north 
  in 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  Valley 
  to 
  Arkansas; 
  the 
  

   subspecies 
  barbouri 
  in 
  extreme 
  southern 
  Florida, 
  and 
  the 
  sub- 
  

   species 
  tenere 
  from 
  Mississippi 
  to 
  northern 
  Tamaulipas, 
  Mexico. 
  An- 
  

   other 
  kind 
  of 
  coral 
  snake, 
  now 
  called 
  Micruroides 
  euryxanthus 
  but 
  

   for 
  many 
  years 
  considered 
  a 
  full 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  Micrurus, 
  is 
  

   said 
  to 
  occur 
  in 
  New 
  Mexico, 
  Arizona, 
  and 
  northern 
  Mexico. 
  

  

  Our 
  North 
  American 
  kinds 
  seldom 
  exceed 
  3 
  feet 
  in 
  length, 
  but 
  

   numerous 
  larger 
  relatives 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  South 
  and 
  Central 
  America, 
  

   where 
  they 
  are 
  a 
  recognized 
  menace. 
  Our 
  species 
  feed 
  upon 
  other 
  

   snakes 
  and 
  small 
  lizards. 
  They 
  burrow 
  in 
  soft 
  ground 
  or 
  under 
  logs 
  

   and 
  are 
  hence 
  seen 
  more 
  infrequently 
  than 
  their 
  actual 
  numbers 
  

   warrant. 
  They 
  come 
  out 
  of 
  their 
  burrows 
  at 
  night 
  or 
  after 
  a 
  rain 
  

   to 
  search 
  for 
  food. 
  Their 
  eggs 
  are 
  deposited 
  in 
  decaying 
  bark 
  or 
  

   damp 
  soil, 
  about 
  seven 
  in 
  a 
  clutch. 
  The 
  time 
  of 
  incubation, 
  in 
  this 
  as 
  

   in 
  all 
  other 
  egg-laying 
  snake 
  species, 
  depends 
  upon 
  the 
  heat 
  and 
  

   moisture 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  usually 
  about 
  3 
  months. 
  

  

  The 
  Pit 
  Vipers 
  

  

  The 
  pit 
  vipers, 
  so 
  called 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  small 
  pit 
  between 
  the 
  nostril 
  

   and 
  the 
  eye, 
  representing 
  the 
  Crotalidae, 
  are 
  much 
  more 
  numerous 
  

   than 
  the 
  Elapidae 
  since 
  about 
  35 
  different 
  species 
  and 
  subspecies 
  are 
  

   recognized 
  within 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  The 
  rattlesnakes 
  need 
  no 
  intro- 
  

   duction, 
  for 
  they 
  are 
  known 
  by 
  reputation, 
  if 
  not 
  by 
  actual 
  contact, 
  

   to 
  everyone 
  in 
  this 
  country. 
  The 
  presence 
  of 
  a 
  whirring 
  rattle 
  on 
  the 
  

   tail 
  tip 
  is 
  their 
  spectacular 
  and 
  distinguishing 
  characteristic. 
  The 
  

   rattlesnakes 
  are 
  divided 
  between 
  two 
  genera, 
  Crotalus 
  and 
  Sistrurus, 
  

   the 
  first 
  having 
  many 
  small 
  scales 
  on 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  head, 
  the 
  second 
  

   with 
  several 
  large 
  regular 
  shields 
  in 
  that 
  region. 
  To 
  the 
  genus 
  

   Sistrurus 
  belong 
  the 
  massasauga 
  and 
  the 
  pigmy 
  rattlesnakes, 
  whose 
  

   venoms 
  are 
  less 
  to 
  be 
  feared 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  small 
  size 
  of 
  these 
  snakes. 
  

  

  Venom, 
  and 
  bite. 
  — 
  While 
  we 
  usually 
  speak 
  of 
  the 
  "bite" 
  of 
  a 
  pit 
  

   viper, 
  it 
  is 
  much 
  more 
  accurate 
  to 
  refer 
  to 
  it 
  as 
  a 
  strike. 
  The 
  snake 
  

   strikes 
  usually 
  from 
  an 
  S-shaped 
  position, 
  the 
  posterior 
  third 
  of 
  

   the 
  body 
  remaining 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  to 
  give 
  necessary 
  leverage 
  for 
  

   the 
  blow. 
  Hence 
  two-thirds 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  length 
  is 
  the 
  maximum 
  

  

  