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  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1943 
  

  

  than 
  are 
  the 
  timber 
  rattler 
  and 
  water 
  moccasin, 
  which 
  seem 
  to 
  prefer 
  

   the 
  swamps. 
  A 
  very 
  large 
  copperhead 
  may 
  be 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  4 
  feet 
  long. 
  

   Baby 
  copperheads, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  young 
  of 
  all 
  other 
  poisonous 
  snakes, 
  

   are 
  venomous 
  from 
  the 
  moment 
  of 
  birth. 
  Although 
  an 
  adult 
  copper- 
  

   head 
  secretes 
  a 
  relatively 
  small 
  amount 
  of 
  venom, 
  a 
  great 
  many 
  persons 
  

   are 
  bitten 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  snake's 
  concealing 
  coloration, 
  which 
  blends 
  per- 
  

   fectly 
  with 
  the 
  ground 
  covered 
  with 
  fallen 
  leaves. 
  A 
  number 
  of 
  

   harmless 
  snakes 
  are 
  similar 
  in 
  appearance 
  to 
  the 
  copperhead 
  and 
  are 
  

   often 
  confused 
  with 
  it. 
  Several 
  species 
  of 
  watersnakes 
  (Natrix) 
  

   are 
  characterized 
  by 
  brown 
  markings 
  on 
  the 
  back 
  somewhat 
  like 
  the 
  

   pattern 
  of 
  the 
  copperhead. 
  They 
  are 
  savage 
  in 
  disposition 
  and 
  the 
  

   lacerating 
  bite 
  from 
  the 
  many 
  short, 
  solid 
  teeth 
  may 
  lead 
  to 
  an 
  infec- 
  

   tion 
  if 
  not 
  thoroughly 
  disinfected. 
  

  

  Distribution 
  of 
  Our 
  Poisonous 
  Snakes 
  

  

  The 
  matter 
  of 
  distribution 
  cannot 
  be 
  explained 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  words. 
  

   Sometimes 
  no 
  poisonous 
  snakes 
  occur 
  in 
  what 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  most 
  

   favorable 
  localities. 
  Again 
  they 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  some 
  special 
  habitat 
  

   perhaps 
  near 
  a 
  town 
  or 
  city 
  where 
  repeated 
  attempts 
  to 
  exterminate 
  

   them 
  have 
  been 
  made. 
  The 
  more 
  northerly 
  the 
  locality, 
  the 
  fewer 
  

   the 
  species 
  as 
  a 
  rule. 
  New 
  England, 
  for 
  instance, 
  has 
  but 
  two 
  species, 
  

   the 
  copperhead 
  and 
  the 
  timber 
  rattler, 
  and 
  the 
  former 
  does 
  not 
  go 
  

   north 
  of 
  central 
  Massachusetts. 
  The 
  massasauga 
  is 
  added 
  in 
  the 
  

   upper 
  Mississippi 
  Valley. 
  The 
  canebrake 
  rattler, 
  the 
  diamondbacfc, 
  

   and 
  the 
  pigmy 
  (two 
  subspecies) 
  complete 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  rattlesnakes 
  

   in 
  the 
  Southeast. 
  

  

  Crossing 
  the 
  Mississippi, 
  we 
  find 
  a 
  much 
  more 
  numerous 
  assem- 
  

   blage. 
  The 
  western 
  diamond, 
  the 
  red 
  diamond, 
  the 
  Pacific, 
  and 
  the 
  

   prairie 
  are 
  among 
  the 
  most 
  formidable. 
  The 
  western 
  massasauga 
  and 
  

   the 
  western 
  pigmy 
  rattler, 
  the 
  Texas 
  rock 
  rattler, 
  the 
  tiger 
  and 
  the 
  

   black-tailed 
  rattler, 
  the 
  speckled 
  and 
  faded 
  and 
  Great 
  Basin 
  rattlers, 
  

   and 
  the 
  Willard's, 
  Price's, 
  and 
  green 
  rock 
  rattler, 
  each 
  with 
  its 
  own 
  

   particular 
  distribution, 
  occur 
  through 
  the 
  west 
  between 
  Canada 
  and 
  

   and 
  the 
  Mexican 
  border. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  peculiar, 
  though 
  not 
  partic- 
  

   ularly 
  dangerous, 
  is 
  the 
  little 
  sidewinder, 
  so 
  called 
  from 
  its 
  method 
  of 
  

   progressing 
  through 
  the 
  sand. 
  It 
  has 
  "horns" 
  on 
  its 
  head, 
  as 
  the 
  scale 
  

   above 
  its 
  eye 
  is 
  enlarged 
  and 
  bluntly 
  pointed, 
  although 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  stiff 
  

   enough 
  to 
  cause 
  any 
  damage, 
  nor 
  is 
  it 
  known 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  in 
  self-defense. 
  

   To 
  this 
  list 
  must 
  be 
  added 
  two 
  forms 
  of 
  the 
  copperhead, 
  and 
  the 
  water 
  

   moccasin. 
  Each 
  of 
  these 
  snakes 
  thus 
  briefly 
  mentioned 
  deserves 
  a 
  

   much 
  fuller 
  discussion 
  than 
  can 
  be 
  accorded 
  in 
  a 
  paper 
  of 
  this 
  size. 
  

  

  The 
  best 
  advice 
  in 
  dealing 
  with 
  supposedly 
  poisonous 
  reptiles 
  is 
  to 
  

   leave 
  them 
  alone 
  if 
  possible. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  at 
  all 
  a 
  wise 
  policy 
  to 
  exter- 
  

   minate 
  every 
  snake 
  in 
  sight, 
  since 
  many 
  harmless 
  snakes 
  are 
  of 
  actual 
  

  

  