SSA-SXAKES.J 



MUSEUM OF ANIMATED NATURE. 



123 



mg to Mr. Pence of Philadelphia, that the poison 

 of this reptile is the most dangerous. " Its bite," 

 he savs. " from the moment it emerges from its 

 retreat till August, does not necessarily produce fatal 

 effects. It has been remarked, and the observation 

 has not escaped the Indians, that from the month of 

 August to the time when about to retire to its winter 

 quarters, the period in which it takes the most food, 

 it becomes terrible, and its bite is mortal." 



" We know that serpents in general retire on the 

 approach of winter, according to the nature of the 

 ground, and the temperature of the places they 

 tenant, either under large stones, or info holes which 

 other animals have burrowed. The Boigeura gives 

 preference to places in the vicinity of water. We 

 have dug up many of their holes on the borders of 

 the river Maurice. They were all tortuous, and led 

 to a sort of chamber distant from the entrance six 

 or cisrht feet, and there we have found them in balls, 

 and twined together. Our guide led us, on one oc- 

 casion, into a marshy place, covered with a prodigious 

 quantity of the sphagnum pahbtre, a kind of moss, 

 of which the stems are from six to twelve inches 

 high. Having removed some of this moss, of which 

 the top was frozen (the frost being so severe that it 

 penetrated the naked ground to the depth of twelve 

 or fourteen inches), we perceived many rattlesnakes 

 slowly creeping among the roots of the trees, im- 

 mediately beneath the moss, and on an oozy ground 

 over which flowed running water not affected by the 

 frost. Here I would make a passing remaik, that 

 this fact may be turned to account by persons em- 

 ployed in agriculture or gardening : this moss might 

 he employed for the preservation of delicate plants 

 liable to be killed by the severity of winter." 



Numerous experiments prove that the rattle- 

 snake eats indifferently all kinds of dead birds he 

 meets with, and that he employs no supernatural 

 means to seize his victims. He does not, however, 

 eat frogs, to which the black snake (Coluber Con- 

 strictor) is so partial 



We may add that the rattlesnake never climbs 

 trees, but waits on the ground for its prey, on which 

 It darts when within the proper distance. 



Mr. Pence says that the rattlesnake employs no 

 supernatural means to seize his victims — and he 

 speaks sensibly. Who, however, lias not heard of 

 the fascinating powers of this snake ? The process 

 is thus detailed by Catesby : — " The charming, as it 

 is commonly called, or attractive power which this 

 snake is said to have of drawing to it animals, and 

 devouring them, is generally believed in America: 

 as for my own part, I never saw the action, but a 

 great many from whom I have had it related all 

 agree in the manner of the process ; which is, 

 that the animals, particularly birds and squirrels 

 (which principally are their prey), no sooner spy the 

 snake tlian they skip from spray to spray, hovering 

 and approaching gradually nearer their enemy, re- 

 gardless of any other danger, but with distracted ges- 

 tures and outcriesdescend from the top of the lolliest 

 trees to the mouth ofthe snake, who openeth his jaws, 

 takes them in, and in an instant swallows them." 



In all this there is nothing beyond what arises 

 from the desire of the animals to drive awajr a 

 savage foe, against which they have an instinctive 

 hatred, from the precincts of their nests, and in their 

 eagerness and anxiety often advance so close as to 

 bring themselves within the reptile's power. In 

 other instances they are startled by the dreaded 

 snake's sudden appearance, and become bewildered 

 or paralyzed with terror. Fig. 2306 shows a small 

 species of Opossum suddenly surprised by the unex- 

 pected appearance of a Rattlesnake. 



After all it is very doubtful whether living birds 

 are the common prey of the rattlesnake. Some 

 experiments by Mr. Pence on a rattlesnake, an<l also 

 on a black snake (not venomous), seem to prove 

 this. A living bird (an oriole) was introduced into 

 the cage of the rattlesnake, and remained there for 

 two days without betraying the least fear, or ex- 

 periencing the slightest molestation from the reptile, 

 which, however, devoured a dead bird, wliile the 

 oriole hopped about untouched. A cardinal pros- 

 beak was then introduced, and this, so far from 

 avoiding the snake, pecked at ease about the cage, 

 picked up the seeds, and even hopped on the snake's 

 back, hut retreated on hearing the sound of the 

 rattle. Frogs, both living and dead, were presented, 

 but it would not touch them. The black snake, on 

 the contrary, instantly seized them. At last a 

 common rat was put into the rattlesnake's cage. 

 Scarcely was it fairly in when the reptile appeared 

 animated ; the rat fled in alarm to the opposite side 

 of the cage, to escape the snake, which now gave 

 chace, following the rat very deliberately. Strenuous 

 were the efforts of the terrified victim to avoid its 

 pursuer, but in vain ; the snake, seizing a favour- 

 able moment, struck its prey and then remained 

 motionless; the rat ran about for a little time as if 

 bewildered, and at the end of a minute became 

 swollen and died in convulsions; it was then swal- 

 lowed. 



Vol. II. 



We may now turn our attention to the venomous 

 snakes, in which there are maxillary teeth behind 

 the poison-fangs. 



2307. — The Banded Bung.\rus 



(Sunffarus fasciatus). In the eenus Bungarus of 

 Daudin (Pseudoboa, Oppel.), the head is short, 

 covere<l with large plates, and not remarkable for 

 any great breadth or swelling of the occiput, as in 

 most venomous snakes ; the scales down the ridge 

 "of the back, as in dipsas, are larger than the lateral 

 scales; the subcaudal plates are simple; there is no 

 dilatable hood as in the allied genus Hamadryas. 



The snakes of the present group are natives of 

 India, where they are called rock serpents, accord- 

 ing to Cuvier, who also informs us that the name 

 which the banded species bears in Bengal is 

 Bungarum-Pamma, whence the barbarous term 

 Bungarus, used by Daudin, and now generally 

 adopted. 



The banded bungarus is a formidable reptile, at- 

 taining to the length of eight feet. The specimens 

 we have examined (preserved in spirit) were of a 

 yellowish white, with annular bands of black. 

 There are several other species, as B. coeruleus, B. 

 lividus, &c. 



Family HYDRIDE (MARINE SNAKES). 



These singular animals are truly aquatic in their 

 habits, and by the compression of their form, and 

 especially of their tail, admirably adapted for swim- 

 ming, by means of a series of eel-like movements. 

 Indeed, excepting that they are destitute of fins, 

 and are covered with scales, they closely resemble 

 eels in their general appearance. 



We have yet tolearn many points respecling these 

 snakes, which are all confined to the warmer lati- 

 tudes, and are often seen collected in shoals in the 

 Indian seas, giving chace to fishes and other prey. 

 Occasionally they are carried out by stor.ms to extra- 

 tropical latitudes, and drifted upon distant coasts, 

 an instance of which occurred on the shores of New 

 Zealand, as we have previously mentioned (Proceeds. 

 Zool. Soc. 1838, p. 4). 



It would seem that these snakes only occasionally 

 visit the land, if indeed they ever leave the water; 

 indeed we are not aware that any have ever been 

 caught on shore ; and they can only live for a short 

 period out of salt water. Russell, in his beautiful 

 work on Indian serpents, states, that " It is remarked 

 by the Rev. M. John that he never found a land, a 

 river, or a tank snake with a flat tail ; such as are 

 sometimes found in rivers have been brought in by 

 the tide, and can only live a short while out of salt 

 water. He further remarks it is difficult to procure 

 sea-snakes, for, though often caught in nets, they 

 are held in such dread by the tishermen, that hardly 

 any inducement can procure them."' Though 

 possessing maxillary teeth, these serpents are highly 

 venomous ; nevertheless many naturalists have 

 asserted the contrary, and even, in some parts, the 

 natives of India have the same erroneous idea, so 

 that the assertion ofthe Rev. M. John that they are 

 dreaded by the fishermen must be taken with some 

 limitation. The following extract from the Proceeds. 

 Zool. Soc. 1838, p. 80, may not prove uninteresting. 

 It is the summary of a paper on Marine Serpents 

 by Dr. Cantor : — " This communication embodies the 

 results of Dr. Cantor's observations upon the habits 

 and general conformation of the Marine Ophidians, 

 a group of Vertebrata to which but little attention 

 has hitherto been given, from the circumstance of 

 the danger attending their examination in the living 

 state, and also from their geographical distribution 

 being entirely confined to the tropical seas. The 

 author being stationed, in the East India Company's 

 service, on the Delta of the Ganges, had, during a 

 considerable period, most favourable opportunities 

 for studying the.se serpents, many of which were 

 captured in the nets employed for fishing. His 

 observations are principally directed to the ana- 

 tomical characters which distinguish the marine 

 from the terrestrial serpents, and to the modifications 

 of structure by which the former are adapted to the 

 element in which they exist. With respect to their 

 physiology, the principal point of interest he esta- 

 blishes is, the circumstance of all the species, with- 

 out exception, being highly venomous, a fact which 

 has been denied by Sclilegel, who states that the 

 marine snakes are harmless; and the same erroneous 

 idea is very current with the natives. Dr. Cantor 

 in proof of the contrary refers to the recent death of 

 an officer in Her Majesty's service, within an hour 

 or two after the bite of a serpent which had been 

 caught at sea, and also to numerous experiments of 

 his own, in which fowls, fish, and other animals 

 invariably died within a few minutes after the bite 

 had been inflicted. Numerous sketches were ex- 

 hibited to the meetingin illustration of Dr. Cantor's 

 observations." 



Though marine snakes are not found naturally in- 

 habiting rivers or lakes, yet they abound in salt-water 

 creeks and ditches. The species are very numerous, 



about fifty species being known, of which most are 

 in the magnificent collection of the British Museum. 

 We have already alluded to the occurrence of these 

 animals around the shores of the Samoa or Naviga- 

 tors' Islands, where they are eaten, and not at Tahiti, 

 as stated by Cuvier, for they are there unknown. 



Mr. Gray (Proceeds. Zool. Soc. 1837, p. 135) 

 observes that " The family of Hydridje (as far as 

 known up to that date) consists of twenty-three 

 genera, and forty-eight species, of which twenty are 

 found in the Indian Ocean, and sixteen in the .salt- 

 water ditches of India and the neighbouring islands, 

 and six are found in similar situations in tropical 

 America." 



2308. — The Bicolouked Sea-Snake 



{Pelamys hicolor). Hydrus bicolor, Schn. ; Anguis 

 platurus, Linn. 



In this genus the head is covered with large plates, 

 and the occiput has a swollen appearance by reason 

 ofthe development of the pedicles ofthe lower jaw, 

 which is very dilatable ; the scales of the body are 

 small, equal, and disposed like the pieces forming a. 

 pavement of hexagons. The colouring is black 

 above, yellow below. It is probably this species 

 which Mr. Williams observed at Savaii, Upolu, &c. : 

 the snakes cast on New Zealand were the same : the 

 tail is shaped very like that of an eel. 



2309.— The Banded Sea-Snake 



(Ckeisi/drvs fasciatus). Oular limpc of the Java- 

 nese ; Acrochordus fasciatus, Shaw. 



The peculiar scaling of the head and body is ex- 

 hibited with the pictorial specimen, from which it 

 will be seen that the scales down the ridge of the 

 back are hexagonal and larger than the small lateral 

 scales. 



Cuvier says that this species inhabits the bottom 

 of the rivers in Java, and is very venomous. We 

 should rather suspect he meant the saline creeks and 

 ditches of that island, for, as already observed, none 

 of these serpents inhabit fresh water. It is alter- 

 nately annulated with black and white. 



The peculiar forms of the Hydridae may be con- 

 trasted with those of the terrestrial snakes, of 

 which we give a few additional examples. — Fig. 

 2310, a group, representing several of the most 

 remarkable, is depicted. The boa, the cobra, the 

 rattlesnake, the viper, and cerastes are conspicuous. 



Fig. 2311 is a spirited representation of the attack 

 upon a sleeping lascar by a monstrous python, 

 noticed in our account of that reptile ; the fatal 

 conclusion was prevented by the opportune return 

 of the party, who destroyed the snake, which was 

 found to exceed sixty-two feet in length. The nar- 

 rative was first publi.shed in the ' Oriental Annual,' 

 and the engraving is copied from a painting by Mr. 

 W. Daniell, now in the possession of the Baron de 

 Noual de la Loyril. 



Fig. 2312 represents a group of snakes coiled 

 together, aroused from their state of hybernation. 



Fig. 2313 is a second pictorial specimen of Her- 

 peton tentacuiatUs. 



ORDER AMPHIBIA. 



Taken in its strict sense the term amphibia {Auipiffiot, 

 utrimque vitam habens, having a double life) is 

 applicable only to such animals as have the power 

 of living indifferently both in the water, respiring by 

 means of gills, and on the land, breathing by means 

 of lungs, lungs and gills (or branchiae) being at the 

 same time possessed. Certain genera in the present 

 order are, indeed, thus organized, as Proteus, Siren, 

 Menobranchus, &c. By an extension of the terra, 

 however, it includes those reptiles also beginning 

 life as aquatic beings with branchiae, which are 

 afterwards lost, true lungs becoming developed, 

 with an according change in roufme of the circula- 

 tion; such for example are the frogs, newts, &c. 



Many naturalists of great eminence, and among 

 them Mr. Bell (see ' British Reptiles'), consider the 

 amphibia as constifuting a distinct class ; neverthe- 

 less we are inclined, with MM. Dumeril and Bibron, 

 to regard them as forming only an order or great 

 section of the class Reptilia, and we agree with a 

 talented writer in the Penny Cyclopaedia, who ex- 

 presses himself in the following words: — "We con- 

 fess that, after some consideration and examination, 

 we do not think that the organic differences between 

 the true reptiles and the amphibia, as they are 

 termed, are sufficient to warrant a separation into 

 two distinct classes. The amphibia may be con- 

 sidered as a division or subclass, but it is too much 

 in our opinion to say that a Salamander (Salaman- 

 dra) and a Sand-lizard (Lacerta agilis) belong to 

 dirf'erent classes." 



With respect to the general characteristics of the 

 amphibia, it may be stated that the ventricle of the 

 heart is single, and that the skin is naked, being 

 defended neither by plates nor,sca!es; it is usually 



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