SNAKES. 



541 



nesian and Australian species) arc all American. Boa 

 imperator, the emperor-snake of Mexico, approaches 

 closely to the well-known Ji. constrictor of S. America. 

 Closely allied areJ3. mexicitna and D. isthmica. Here 

 lielongs the anaconda (q. v. ) of literature, though 

 the original anaconda was East Indian or Ceylon- 

 < j se. Xiphosoma caninum is the dog-headed boa of 

 Brazil, with a generally greenish hue, varied with 

 bands and spots of lighter tint. 



Epici-fit'-s cenchriu is one of the species called 

 aboma (which is strictly the name of an African 

 snake). The ancient Mexicans used to worship this 

 serpent with bloody rites. 



The venomous snakes of America are very numer- 

 ous. The great family Elapidse has many genera 

 one of which, Elapg proper, has many South Ameri- 

 can species. E. fulcus is the showily variegated lit- 

 tle harlequin snake of the Southern States. It is 

 singular that this little reptile, though undoubtedly 

 venomous, is regarded by almost all who know it as 

 perfectly harmless. At ordinary times it is not easy 

 to provoke it to bite. 



Of the exceedingly venomous Hydrophidae, or sea- 

 snakes, so common in the Indian Ocean, only one 

 species, Pebimix bicalor, ranges eastward across the 

 Pacific to tropical America ; and the same or some 

 other has been reported, perhaps incorrectly, from 

 the Atlantic waters of Central America. The ex- 

 ceedingly venomous family, Causidse, chiefly Afri- 

 can, has one Venezuelan representative, a Dinoih'psus. 

 A characteristic family, though one not peculiar to 

 America, is that of the Crotalidse or pit-vipers. The 

 common copper-head, Ancistrodon cantrtrtrix, has a 

 wide range in N. America, and is exceedingly veno- 

 mous. Still more dreaded is the water-moccasin, 

 A. piscivorvji, of the Southern States. The terrible 

 fer-de-lince, Trirfonncrphiilus lanceoltitus, is found in 

 some of the West Indian Islands. 



For a description of the Rattlesnake the reader is 

 referred to the ESCYCLOP.EDIA BHITANNICA. Besides 

 the species named we may mention as noteworthy 



TUI ItlTTU-UCAU. 



Ci-otnltu mi>loxsiu of New Mexico and Arizona ; C. 

 conflttenta, the common prairie-rattlesnake ; C. luci/er, 

 the black rattlesnake of the Pacific States ; C. 

 ceratte*, the horned rattler, or side-winder, of New 

 Mexico. The small rattlesnakes of the genus Can- 

 disona are very commonly designated by the abori- 

 ginal name of Massasauga. There has been described 

 a species of rattlesnake called Aplmispis liyidu, from 

 Western Texas, which has been considered the most 

 highly specialized of all the group, if not of all ex- 

 isting snake*. 



It is probable that every state and territory of the 

 Union is at least locally infested by rattlesnakes of 

 one or more species. In the New England States I 

 they are for the most part limited to very rocky and | 

 thinly settled tracts the finely splintered trappean 

 surfaces on the snnny sides of sucli ridges as that of 

 Mt. Holyoke and Mt. Tom being especially adapted 

 to their habits. The abandonment and reforestation 

 of old farm-lands in New England seems to be lead- . 



| ing to the return of the rattlesnake to districts where 

 he has long been a stranger. It is asserted that the 

 rattlesnake of New England is especially dangerous, 

 and that the proportion of deaths following 'from its 

 bite is much larger than that observed in moro 

 southerly latitudes. Much more certain is it that 

 the largest species of rattlesnakes are as a rule the 

 most deadly ; the bite of the little " massasangu" 

 being not nearly so dangerous as that of Lroiulm 

 Jtorridus, or the South American C. durissus, or the 

 great diamond rattlesnake that haunts the swamps 

 and hammock-lands of the Gulf States. 



The one remedy, and the only one worth consider- 

 ing for rattlesnake-bite, is whiskey or its equivalent. 

 The snake-poison is a tremendous heart-depressant, 

 and the only remedy is th dir< ct counter-poison (or 

 "physiological antidote") of alcohol, a heart stimu- 

 lant ; for there is no known and available clu-mical 

 antidote. The amount of stimulation the patient 

 will generally bear after a snake-bite is very wonder- 

 ful. The remedy should be pushed vigorously, but 

 not inconsiderately. As a rule, when signs of in- 

 toxication begin to be discernible the stimulus 

 must be given with greater moderation. If spiiiis 

 of ammonia, or pure pthylic ether, be at hand, it is 

 well to begin the treatment with a large dose of one 

 or both, by reason of their speedy action ; but the 

 slower alcoholic stimulation is much more effective. 



It is well known that savages cveiynhero, at least 

 when pushed by hunger, will eat I lie flesh of ser- 

 pents. It is equally well known (hat in Europe 

 asp's flesh was jegarded fas it still is locally) as 

 a sovereign remedy for various ills and diseases; 

 and one theory of the derivation of the name aspic 

 as given to a favorite made-dish of the European 

 cuisine is that it originally contained stewed asps. 

 It is, however, much less generally known to the 

 reading public that the rattlesnake is eaten by white 

 people, not only in Lower Canada but also as far 

 south as the Gulf of Mexico. At a time not yet dis- 

 tant the flesh of the rattlesnake was served up upon 

 the well-appointed tables of wealthy and not unre- 

 fined planters and prosperous towns-people in the 

 Gulf States. By way of euphemism the serpent's 

 flesh was called " musical squirrel," or by some other 

 similar disguise. All the recorded testimony confirms 

 the statement that rattlesnake meat is tender and 

 delicate and of good flavor. Eattlesnake's oil is 

 regularly kept for sale in many drug-stores. Thou- 

 sands of country-folk believe that it has singular 

 virtues as a remedy ; and along with skunk's-grease, 

 opossum-fat, -dog-fat, and raccoon -tallow, it meets 

 with a ready sale at good prices. Its virtues are, iu 

 fact, much the same as those of lard or goose-grease. 

 There is no reason to believe that it has any special 

 qualities which give it a value above that of any 

 other animal-oil. 



The name " blind-worm," applied in the early 

 part of this article to snakes of the genus Typhlops 

 and the allied forms, is in English literature given to 

 Anguisfrngilis, " which is neither blind nor a worm," 

 but a snake-like lizard, mentioned here solely as one 

 of a rather numerous group of limbless lizards, pop- 

 ularly confounded with true snakes. One of the 

 most interesting of these creatures is the " glass- 

 snake," Oitliiosaurus ventralin of the Southern States, 

 so called from the brittleness of its tail, which is 

 very readily broken off. Very similar are the Euro- 

 pean glass-snake, Pseudcipus pallasii, P. gracilis of 

 India, and the African Hyalosaurus. Australia has 

 a great number of limbless and snake-like lizards, 

 and there are several in the Californian region. 

 Among other limbless vertebrates are the Cseciliidce, 

 chiefly tropical and subterraneous in their habits, 

 often eyeless or nearly so. They are batrachians, 

 and not true reptiles. The Amphisbsenidse, also ser- 

 pent-like and nearly blind, are true lizards. They 



