566 



COLLEGE ZOOLOGY 



FIG. 463. The water-moccasin, Agkistrodon 

 piscivorus. (From Gadow.) 



in the swamps of the Atlantic coast south of North Caro- 

 lina, and in the Mississippi Valley from southern Illi- 

 nois and Indiana 

 southward. The 

 length of an aver- 



'' M^^^-, ^^:^^^"ffl&&^^ age specimen is 



four feet, but a 

 length of over five 

 feet is sometimes 

 attained. The 

 moccasin is one of 

 the most poison- 

 ous of all snakes. 

 It feeds upon 

 cold-blooded ani- 

 mals such as frogs, 

 and also upon 

 small birds and mammals. The young are brought forth alive. 

 The copperhead snake, Agkistrodon contortrix (Fig. 464), is 

 another very ven- 

 omous snake. Its 

 range extends from 

 southern Massa- 

 chusetts to north- 

 ern Florida and 

 west to Texas. In 

 the southern part 

 of its range the 

 copperhead prefers 

 to live on the ', 

 plantations, but in 



^ , T . , .. . FIG. 464. The copperhead, Agkistrodon contortrix. 

 the North it IS (From Gadow.) 



found in or near 



thick forests. An average specimen measures about two and 



a half feet in length. 



