598 



The Living Animals of the World 



by the so-called BUSH-MASTER, a snake which 

 attains to a length of as much as from 9 to 

 12 feet, and, in addition to being exceedingly 

 venomous, is of an especially fierce and aggres- 

 sive disposition. It is devoid of a rattle-like 

 appendage, the tail terminating in a sharp 

 horny spine. The FER-DE-LANCE, or KAT-T AILED 

 PIT-VIPER, is another Central and South American 

 species, held in wholesome dread on account 

 of its death-dealing potentialities. The South 

 American sugar- plantations are an especially 

 favourite resort of this deadly snake, its attrac- 

 tion being the rats which frequent the canes 

 and afford its chief food. Lying concealed 

 among the thick foliage, it will launch itself 

 aggressively at any passer-by, and its bite is 

 usually attended with fatal results within a few 

 hours. The fer-de-lance grows to a length 

 of 6 or 7 or occasionally even 8 feet, with a 

 thickness of a man's arm. Its colours, as with 

 most members of its tribe, are somewhat variable. 

 The ground-colour of the back is usually olive 

 or reddish brown, with dark cross-bands ; a 

 black stripe runs backwards from the eye to 

 the neck, and in some instances the sides of 

 the body are bright red. 



The American Continent is not wanting in 

 aquatic representatives of the Viperine series. 



The most notable of these is the fish-eating WATER-VIPER, whose distribution extends from 

 North Carolina in the south over the whole of North America as far westward as the Rocky 

 Mountains. Fish and frogs constitute the main diet of this reptile. 



Photo by Scholastic Photo. Co.] 



BULL-FROG. 



[Parson's Green. 



The croaking of this species may be heard at a distance of several 

 miles. 



AMPHIBIANS. 



CHAPTER VI. 



FROGS AND TOADS. 



r~T\HE Amphibian Class, through the Newts 

 I and Salamanders more especially, would 

 appear at first sight to have much in 

 common with and to be most closely allied to 

 the Lizards, previously described. As a matter 

 of fact, however, the group is much more 

 nearly related to the Fishes. Quite the most 

 characteristic feature in the Amphibians that 

 is indicative of the above-mentioned affinity is 

 the circumstance that for a more or less longer 

 period of their existence their respiratory organs 

 take the form of external gills, structures not 

 found in any of the preceding vertebrate 

 classes. Another diagnostic character of the 





Photo by W. P. Dando, F.Z.S.] [Regent's Pa.rk. 



AMERICAN BULL-FROG. 

 Young ducks are a favourite food of this voracious Batrachian. 



