﻿DANGEROUS 
  REPTILES 
  — 
  COCHRAN 
  289 
  

  

  since 
  it 
  deliberately 
  glides 
  forward 
  toward 
  the 
  intruder. 
  It 
  carries 
  

   its 
  neck 
  in 
  an 
  S-shaped 
  lateral 
  loop, 
  in 
  readiness 
  to 
  strike. 
  It 
  does 
  not 
  

   always 
  use 
  its 
  rattle 
  to 
  give 
  warning. 
  While 
  it 
  sometimes 
  coils, 
  with 
  

   its 
  rattle 
  buzzing 
  steadily, 
  more 
  often 
  it 
  gives 
  no 
  more 
  warning 
  than 
  

   a 
  few 
  quick 
  side 
  flings 
  of 
  the 
  rattle, 
  producing 
  single 
  harsh 
  clicks. 
  

   This 
  is 
  a 
  sound 
  well 
  worthy 
  of 
  recognition 
  in 
  the 
  higher 
  ground 
  of 
  

   the 
  Tropics, 
  as 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  immediately 
  followed 
  by 
  the 
  serpent's 
  

   stroke 
  with 
  no 
  further 
  warning. 
  This 
  serpent 
  has 
  many 
  common 
  

   names, 
  the 
  most 
  frequently 
  used 
  being 
  cascabel, 
  although 
  in 
  differ- 
  

   ent 
  parts 
  of 
  Brazil 
  it 
  is 
  called 
  boicininga, 
  maracaboia, 
  and 
  boiquira. 
  

   It 
  is 
  not 
  found 
  south 
  of 
  southern 
  Brazil 
  and 
  the 
  Chaco 
  region 
  of 
  

   the 
  Argentine. 
  

  

  The 
  cantil. 
  

  

  The 
  cantil 
  {Agkistrodon 
  bilineatus) 
  takes 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  our 
  water 
  

   moccasin 
  from 
  central 
  Mexico 
  to 
  Central 
  America. 
  The 
  adult 
  is 
  

   black, 
  with 
  white 
  or 
  yellow 
  markings. 
  The 
  head 
  is 
  dark, 
  with 
  a 
  vivid 
  

   yellow 
  stripe 
  along 
  the 
  snout 
  and 
  another 
  on 
  the 
  upper 
  lip. 
  It 
  is 
  

   semiaquatic 
  in 
  habit 
  and 
  attains 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  size 
  as 
  the 
  related 
  

   copperhead 
  — 
  less 
  than 
  4 
  feet. 
  Its 
  poison 
  is 
  highly 
  toxic 
  ; 
  fortunately 
  

   it 
  does 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  abundant. 
  

  

  The 
  bushmaster. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  feared 
  of 
  tropical 
  American 
  snakes 
  is 
  the 
  bushmaster 
  

   (Lachesis 
  mutus, 
  pi. 
  4, 
  fig. 
  2), 
  the 
  giant 
  among 
  the 
  pit 
  vipers, 
  which 
  

   attains 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  about 
  11 
  feet, 
  although 
  such 
  Targe 
  individuals 
  are 
  

   very 
  rare. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  exceptional 
  among 
  the 
  pit 
  vipers 
  because 
  it 
  lays 
  

   eggs, 
  all 
  the 
  others 
  bearing 
  the 
  young 
  alive. 
  It 
  is 
  aggressive 
  in 
  charac- 
  

   ter, 
  and 
  while 
  the 
  vibrating 
  of 
  its 
  tail 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  when 
  the 
  snake 
  

   is 
  uneasy 
  makes 
  a 
  loud 
  buzzing 
  sound 
  somewhat 
  like 
  that 
  produced 
  

   by 
  the 
  warning 
  rattle 
  of 
  the 
  rattlesnake, 
  the 
  bushmaster 
  holds 
  its 
  

   ground 
  and 
  usually 
  comes 
  near 
  to 
  the 
  intruder. 
  Its 
  teeth 
  inject 
  a 
  

   large 
  quantity 
  of 
  venom, 
  and 
  by 
  their 
  length 
  (1% 
  inches 
  in 
  a 
  snake 
  11 
  

   feet 
  4 
  inches 
  long) 
  they 
  can 
  penetrate 
  very 
  deeply 
  through 
  coverings 
  

   that 
  would 
  render 
  the 
  striking 
  of 
  an 
  ordinary-sized 
  snake 
  practically 
  

   harmless. 
  The 
  body 
  is 
  yellowish 
  or 
  reddish 
  brown 
  with 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  

   dark 
  blotches, 
  wide 
  on 
  the 
  back 
  and 
  narrow 
  on 
  the 
  sides 
  — 
  a 
  pattern 
  

   that 
  blends 
  in 
  very 
  well 
  with 
  the 
  surrounding 
  vegetation. 
  Its 
  skin 
  is 
  

   very 
  rough. 
  It 
  is 
  long 
  and 
  slender, 
  hence 
  well 
  able 
  to 
  travel 
  through 
  

   underbrush, 
  and 
  its 
  lance-shaped 
  head 
  gives 
  it 
  an 
  extremely 
  sinister 
  

   appearance. 
  It 
  is 
  found 
  from 
  Nicaragua 
  through 
  southern 
  Central 
  

   America 
  and 
  South 
  America, 
  also 
  in 
  Trinidad. 
  It 
  is 
  called 
  sirocucu 
  

   and 
  mapepire 
  in 
  some 
  places 
  where 
  it 
  occurs. 
  It 
  lives 
  in 
  damp 
  forests 
  

   in 
  holes 
  made 
  by 
  other 
  animals. 
  

  

  