336 



FLORIDA REPTILES AND BATRACEIANS—LCENNBERG. vol. xvii. 



This snake is often eauglifc by placing an empty barrel over the coils 

 after which a board is shoved under the snake and the whole thing 

 turned over. 



AGKISTRODON PISCIVORUS (Lac^pede). 



"Moccasin," " Watermoccasin," " Stump-tail moccasin," and "Cotton- 

 mouth moccasin" are the names by which this much-dreaded snake is 

 known in south Florida. It is rather common where it has not been 

 exterminated by man, and has been still more abundant around the 

 lakes and in the swamps. It is a very ugly-looking animal, and very 

 slow. It prefers to lie on the river banks, or on logs and stumps near 

 the water. I once saw one on the St. John's River, at Lake Jessup, 

 which had filled its lungs with air and basked in the sun, floating on 

 the surface with the entire body out of the water. The young ones 

 have brighter colors and are then sometimes mistaken for J., contortrix^ 

 the "Copperhead," but this snake is not found in Florida. I once 

 caught a young moccasin which was being attacked by a butcher bird. 



A very interesting lact which I have observed is that a moccasin, 

 when it is angry and ready to bite, rattles with the tail like a. rattle- 

 snake. That other snakes have acquired this habit of scaring their 

 enemies by makfng them believe that they are dangerous rattlesnakes 

 is not so difticult to understand. But why does the moccasin rattle? 

 That the rattling with the tail even by other snakes has something to 

 do with the rattlesnake seems plain ; for, why do not the non- American 

 snakes rattle with the tail when excited? If the rattling only was 

 something analogous to the playing with the tongue, why do not 

 all snakes do it? 



General remarks. 



If we regard the Florida snakes observed by me, from a biographical 

 point of view, under the heads of burrowing, climbing, crawling, and 

 swimming species, the result may be tabulated as follows: 



Burrowing species. 



Cemophora coccinea. 

 Farancia ahaciira. 

 Osceola elapsoidea. 

 Stilosoma exfcv nation. 

 Beterodon plaltirhinos. 

 Tantilla coronata. 

 Elaps fulviiis. 

 Total, 7 species. 



Climbing species. 



Opheodrys a'stivus. 

 {Bascanion constrictor). 

 {Callopeltis quadririttatus). 

 Total, 1 (+2) species. 



Crawling species. 



Lampropeltis getulus. 

 Diadophis punctatus. 

 Bascanion constrictor. 

 Bascanion fiafielhim. 

 Callopeltis (jattatiis. 

 Callopeltis quadrivittattis 

 Spilotes corais. 

 Pituophis melanoleucus. 

 Thamnopliis sirtalis. 

 Thamnophis sackenii. 

 Storeria dekayi. 

 Storei'ia occipitomaculata. 

 Sistrurtis miliarius. 

 Crotalus adamantews. 

 Total, 14 species. 



