122 



MUSEUM OF ANIMATED NATURE. 



[SXAKES. 



accidents were not uncommon, though perhaps not 

 generally known. 



Serpents do not always "obey the voice of the 

 chamier." Roberts mentions the instance of a man 

 who came to a gentleman's house to exhibit tame 

 snakes ; and, on being told that a cobra was in a 

 cage in the house, was asked if he could charm it : 

 on hU replying in the affirmative the serpent was 

 released from the cage, and, no doubt, in a state of 

 high irritation. The man becan his incantrftions 

 and repeated his charms, but the snake darted at 

 him, fastened upon his arm, and before night he was 

 a corpse. 



Among the snakes to be dreaded for their bold- 

 ness and venom, may be noticed the lance-headed 

 vijjer, of the islands of Martinico, St. Lucia, and we 

 believe also of the Brazilian continent. It is the 

 Vipire fer-de-lance of the French (Trigonocephalus 

 lanceolatus, Oppel.). 



This species attains to six, seven, and even, as it is 

 said, eighi or nine feet in length ; and is remarkable 

 for its activity. When about to make an attack, it 

 throws itself into spiral coils, and then launches 

 itself with the velocity of an arrow on its enemy. 

 It greatly abounds in the sugar-cane plantations, 

 and, as the negroes are much exposed to its bite, 

 many perish from time to lime from the effects 

 of its poison. It is not, however, confined to sugar- 

 cane plantations; it haunts woods, marshes, the 

 luxuriant borders of rivers, and occurs even on the 

 sterile mountains. M. Moreau de Jonn^s and his com- 

 panions, on their accent to the crater at the pinnacle 

 of a mountain, more than five thousand feet high, 

 which overhangs the town of St. Pierre, in Marti- 

 nico, encountered one of these snakes at the sum- 

 mit, from which, as they were completely exhausted 

 by their exertions, they were in great danger. In- 

 deed, it was only eight days previously to their 

 ascent that a fisherman, while shooting his canoe 

 over the volcanic pebbles of the shore at the l)ase 

 of that very mountain, had been attacked by one 

 of these snakes; it rushed at him from its conceal- 

 ment among loose basaltic masses, and inflicted a 

 wound which, notwithstanding all endeavours to 

 save his life, proved fatal. 



In the woods these reptiles mount to the tops of 

 the highest trees, in quest of birds and their young, 

 and often lie coiled in the snug nests of the previous 

 tenants, which latter they have devoured. They 

 lurk also in the holes of trees, and under the de- 

 composing masses of herbage in close thickets, or 

 among the parasitic plants which soon overgrow 

 the mouldering logs of timber in the forest. Should 

 a ijerson incautiously approach the lair of one of 

 these snakes, it will dart ibrth, and pursue the fugi- 

 tive by a series of rapid leaps ; and even when in 

 the trees, it has been known to spring at a passer- 

 by. Tenements in the country, and the embowered 

 cottages of the negroes, are often invaded by this 

 pest, and poultry-yards and pigeon-houses are sub- 

 ject to its visitations. It is not unfrequently brought 

 into the towns among green fodder and vegetable 

 productions, and numbers are constantly found to 

 enter within the outworks of Fort Bourbon in Mar- 

 tinico, and Fort Luzerne in St. Lucia, during their 

 nightly excursions, where they are despatched as 

 quickly as possible. Lizards, birds, and rats, but 

 especially the latter, constitute the food of this ser- 

 pent ; after swallowing its prey, it is said to exhale 

 a disgusting odour, yet the negroes, who are not 

 very fastidious, eat its flesh, which is not un- 

 pleasant. 



Nearly related to this snake is the formidable 

 Bushmaster (Lachesis rhombeata) of Guiana, Bra- 

 zil, &c. It is exceedingly venomous, and attains 

 to the length of eight or nine feet. There are 

 double scuta beneath the tail, which terminates in 

 a short horny point ; when surprised or irritated 

 this reptile vibrates its tail, and produces a rustling 

 noise by striking it against the dry grass or the 

 brushwood; but not, as in the rattlesnake, by means 

 of a special piece of oscillating mechanism. From 

 this habit, however, Linnaeus associated it with the 

 rattlesnakes, under the name of Crotalus mutus. It 

 is an intermediate form between those snakes and 

 the viperine family. 



We may now proceed to a genus, in which, 

 mostly at least, the tail is terminated by a spiniform 

 scale, but the plates beneath the tail, excepting a 

 few of the last, are single. We allude to the geiius 

 Acanthophis, which appears to be restricted to 

 Australia. 



The following extracts from Mr. G. Bennett's 

 interesting work, entitled ' Wanderings in New 

 South Wales,' may not be unacceptable. •' Snakes," 

 he says, " are numerous in various parts of the co- 

 lony. Those known among the colonists as the 

 Black and Brown Snakes are Ibund about the banks 

 of rivers or in swampy situations The natives, who, 

 however, are not the best authorities (we query 

 this), say that the bite is not deadly, but causes the 

 person bitten to feel .sick and sleepy for a short 

 time, which passes off without being followed by 



any ill effects, even if no remedy be applied." 

 These snakes measure about four feet in length, 

 and readily take to the water. They feed upon 

 frogs, lizards, &c. "There is,"' he continues, "an- 

 other dangerous snake called Yellow Snake by the 

 colonists, and .Taruk by the Yas natives. It attains 

 to a very large size, and has the reputation of being 

 very venomous ; the bite (unless the piece be im- 

 mediately cut out) producing almost immediate 

 death. 



" The most deadly snake in appearance, and I 

 believe also in effect, is one of hideous aspect, called 

 by the colonists Death Adder, and by the Yas na- 

 tives Tammen, from havmg a small curved process 

 at the end of the tail, bearing some resemblance 

 to a sting : and the reptile is considered by popular 

 rumour (but erroneously) to inflict a deadly sting 

 , with it. 



I '■ This hideous reptile (evidently an acanthophis) 



I is thick in proportion to its length. The eye is 



' vivid yellow with a black longitudinal pupil ; the 



! colourof the body is difficult to be described ; being 



a complication of dull tints, with narrow blackish 



bands, shaded off into the hues which prevail upon 



the back ; the under parts are slightly tinged with 



red. The head is broad, thick, and flattened. The 



specimen I examined measured two feet two inches 



in length, and iive inches in circumference. A 



dog that was bitten by one died in less than an 



hour." 



The snakes of this genus Acanthophis are dull 

 and inanimated ; they feed upon insects, lizards, and 

 I small mammalia. 



2300. — Brow.n's Acanthophis 



(Acanthophis Brownii). Our pictorial specimens 

 of the Head and Tail of this hideous reptile suffice 

 to convey a clear idea of the generic characters. 

 According to Mr. P. Cunningham, this is the most 

 venomous snake of New South Wales, and is, we 

 suspect, identical with the Death Adder, described 

 by Mr. G. Bennett. 



Mr. Cunningham relates a remarkable fact, 

 proving both the tenacity of life which these snakes 

 possess, and the virulence of the poison. Two in- 

 dividuals, a male and female, were discovered by 

 the dogs of a sportsman ; the male was killed, but 

 the female escaped into the hole ; upwards of ten 

 minutes afterwards, one of the dogs, in lumting about 

 where the snake had been killed, was bitten in the 

 foot by the head which had been cut otf, and shortly 

 after died in the most dreadful convulsions. The 

 male is dark brown, the female of a light orange 

 colour. 



2301. — The Horned Acanthophis 



{Acanthophis ceroitimis). This species, which was 

 first described by Menem, is named Cerastinus 

 from the similarity which, at first sight, it bears to 

 the Cerastes, in its short thick body, large flat 

 head, and eyes surrounded by prominent scales. 

 The pointed spur with which the tail terminates is 

 sharp, compressed, and slightly bent upwards. (Fig. 

 2302.) 



2303. — Lesson's Acanthophis 



(Acanthophis Tortor). This species is described 

 by Lesson in the ' Zoologie de la Coquille,' and is 

 considered by him as identical with the A. Brownii 

 of Dr. Leach. This, however, is evidently not the 

 case, for in the first place the tail of Lesson's 

 species is not tipped with a spine, and in the second 

 place its colouring is perfectly different. It is 

 elegantly tinted ; a black velvety blue is spread 

 over the upper part of the body ; rose-colour 

 deepened to red runs along each side from the jaws 

 to the base of the tail. Pale yellow tinges the un- 

 der surface of the body, but a brown circle occupies 

 the centre of each abdominal plate ; the head and 

 tail are uniformly blue-black. Length about three 

 feet. Lesson describes two poison fangs on each 

 side as small and sharp. Letter a represents the 

 Head, which, it will be perceived, is very different 

 from that of A. Brownii. 



2304. — ^The Rattlesnake 



(Crotalus durissus). Crotalus horridus, Cuv. 



Several species of Rattlesnake are known to 

 naturalists, as the Boiquira or Diamond Rattle- 

 snake of Mexico, Guiana, and Brazil (Crotalus 

 horridus) ; the Common or Banded Rattlesnake 

 of the United States (Crotalus durissus) ; and 



: the Small Rattlesnake (Caudisona miliaris, Fitzin.). 



' We may here observe that the terms horridus and 

 durissus have been very loosely applied to the two 

 former species by naturalists. Cuvier assigns the 



! term horridus to the species found in the United 

 Slates, and durissus to that of Guiana. In his 

 ' North American Reptiles,' Dr. Harlan reverses the 



i titles, and we adopt his application of them. 



1 The rattlesnakes are all natives of America; the 

 head is covered with scales, similar to those of the 



: upper surface, excepting in the genus Caudisona, 



where it is protected by plates; there is a small de 

 pression behind each nostril ; the tail is furnished 

 with an appendage commonly termed its rattle ; it 

 consists of a number of thin horny cells, of a pyra- 

 midal figure, with a protuberant marginal ring; 

 they are fitted into one another as far as this ring; 

 that is, the pyramidal portion of one is received 

 into the hollow of that succeeding, its apex reach- 

 ing as far as the ring of the third, and so on, — hence, 

 when all together, only the protuberant margin of 

 each is seen. The articulation of these distinct 

 portions being very loose, they rustle against each 

 other when smartly vibrated, and produce a distinct 

 whirring noise that may be heard at some distance. 

 The structure of the rattle is well expressed at Fig. 

 230D ; a shows a rattle of twenty-four joints ; i, the 

 section of a rattle, showing the form of the distinct 

 portions, and the mode in which they are fitted into 

 each other. The number of the joints composing 

 the rattle increases, to a certain period at least, with 

 each moult of slough, and the basal bell is the last 

 formed. When irritated or alarmed, the rattlesnake 

 vibrates this appendage, and gives timely warning, 

 for it is slow to strike, and never voluntarily attacks 

 man. unless trodden upon or molested. It is, in- 

 deed, mostly glad to escape, retiring with tail erect 

 and rapidly vibrating. These reptiles, when irri- 

 tated, exhale a disgusting odour ; it is said, however, 

 that the peccary will destroy and devour them; 

 though not, as we should suppose, without often 

 experiencing the effects of their venomous fangs. 

 Horses and dogs, however, avoid them. 



" I have often," says M. Bosc, " amused myself 

 by trying to force my horse and dog to approach 

 one of these animals, but they would sooner have 

 allowed themselves to be knocked down on the spot 

 than come near them." It would seem from Kalm 

 that horses and oxen perish from the bite of a 

 rattlesnake sooner than dogs or men, yet dogs 

 seldom survive. Captain Hall exposed some of 

 these animals to the bite of a rattlesnake measuring 

 four feet in length ; the first struck with its deadly 

 fangs expired in fifteen minutes, the second lingered 

 in great agony for two hours before death ended its 

 sufferings, and the third only began to feel the effects 

 of the poison after an interval of three houi-s : four 

 days afterwards the same snake bit a dog which 

 died in thirty seconds, and another dog which died 

 in four minutes. 



Well is it then that such terrible reptiles are slow 

 in their movements, indolent in their habits, and 

 ready to give warning by their rattle of their pre- 

 sence ! They are fond of lying coiled up in sunny 

 spots, with the rattle elevated in the centre, and 

 ready to be vibrated, when the animal sees an in- 

 truder, without moving any other part of the body. 

 When exasperated, the rattlesnake continuously 

 vibrates the tail ; the head is flattened, the throat 

 and cheeks are distended, the jaws open, the venom- 

 fangs are displayed, the tongue quivers, and the 

 boily alternately swells and sinks with rage, like a 

 pair of bellows ; should its enemy now approach, 

 the blow will be instantaneously struck : if, how- 

 ever, he retire, the reptile will unfold its coils, and 

 creep away into the brushwood, as if unwilling to 

 continue the strife. 



Occasionally these snakes attain to very great 

 dimensions. Catesby says, "The largest I ever saw 

 was one about eight feet in length, weighing be- 

 tween eight and nine pounds. This monster was 

 gliding into the house of Colonel Blake of Carolina, 

 and had certainly taken his abode there undisco- 

 vered, had not the domestic animals alarmed the 

 family with their repeated outcries; the hogs, dogs, 

 and poultry united in their hatred to him, showing 

 the greatest consternation, by erecting their bristles 

 and feathers; and, expressing their wrath and indig- 

 nation, surrounded him, but carefully kept their 

 distance, while he, regardless of their threats, glided 

 slowly along." The same writer, speaking of the 

 herbs used as antidotes to the bite, by the Indians, 

 adds, " Having, by travelling much with Indians, had 

 frequent opportunities of seeing the direful effects 

 of the bite of those snakes, it always seemed and 

 was apparent to me that the good effects usually 

 attributed to these their remedies are owing more 

 to the force of nature or the bite of a small snake 

 in a muscular part. The person thus bit I have 

 known to survive for many hours without any as- 

 sistance, but where a rattlesnake with full force 

 penetrates with his deadly fangs, and pricks a vein or 

 artery, inevitable death ensues, and that, as I have 

 often seen, in less than two minutes. The Indians 

 know their destiny the minute they are bit, and 

 when they perceive it mortal apply no remedy, con- 

 cluding all efforts are vain ; but if the bite happen 

 in a fleshy part, they immediately cut it out to stop 

 the current of the poison. I could heartily wisn 

 that oil of olives applied to the wound might have 

 as good success against the venom of these snakes 

 as it hath been found in England to have had against 

 the poison of the adder." 



It is in the hottest part of the year only, accord- 



