THE RATTLESNAKE. 341 



and of using them properly in their own defence, even before 

 those weapons subsist or are formed. Thus a young cock 

 will spar at his adversary before his spurs are grown ; and a 

 calf or a lamb will push with their heads before their horns are 

 sprouted. ' ' 



The Rattle- The Rattlesnake belongs to America, and many 

 snake. exaggerate^! stories are current concerning it. At 

 certain seasons it is very fierce and its bite at all times very dan- 

 gerous, but in the ordinary way it will not attack anything but 

 the animals it feeds upon, unless molested. It has been tamed 

 and kept in cages, one in the possession of Mr. Pierce making 

 friends with a toad which was introduced to its cage for the 

 purposes of food, and allowed it to take many liberties. 



"After the death of this snake," says Mr. 

 The Sting J 



of the Pierce, " I examined his fangs ; they were sharp 

 Rattle- like a sickle j a duct led from the reservoir of 

 poison at the bottom of the tooth quite through 

 its whole length, and terminated just by the point, which was 

 exceedingly sharp. Thus, when the fang is darted out it 

 makes the puncture, and simultaneously the poison flows 

 through the duct, and is deposited in the very bottom of the 

 wound. As this rarely fails to touch a blood-vessel, the venom 

 is thus instantly issued into the system, and without delay, 

 commences the march of death through every vein and artery. ' ' 

 Mr. Smith in the Philosophical Transactions (1848) says : 

 "If a venomous serpent be made repeatedly to inflict 

 wounds, without allowing sufficiently long intervals for it to 

 recover its powers, each successive bite becomes less and less 

 effective. A gentleman who had a rattlesnake in a cage, put a 

 rat in with it ; it immediately struck the rat, which died in 

 two minutes. Another rat was then introduced, which ran as 

 far as it could from the snake, with cries of distress. In half 

 an hour, during which time the snake showed no hostility, on 

 being irritated, it struck the rat, which died in twenty minutes. 

 A third, and remarkably large rat, was then thrust into the 



