C 11 O T A L U S. 



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presence of the serpent, and thus enabling them to 

 ina.e their escape, tor the serpent must be one of 

 very iarge size, and also very much excited, in order 

 to be heard at the distance of four or five yards ; 

 and on the ordinary slow march of the animal it 

 makes very little noise. 



The smell of these serpents is exceedingly offensive, 

 even when they are alive, arising 1 , as is supposed, from 

 the rapidity with which the flesh of those animals on 

 which they feed putrefies from the action of the virus 

 upon it. This virus is not a poison when taken into 

 the stomach of other animals, and there is no reason 

 to suppose that it is such when taken into the digestive 

 organs of the reptiles themselves, while the effect to 

 the bitten animal is a general putrefaction of the 

 body, and we must suppose that this extends to the 

 reptile also ; and we have proof that it does, for the 

 dead bodies of all the poisonous serpents putrefy very 

 rapidly, and are exceedingly offensive to the smell 

 during the process. Serpents which are not absolutely 

 poisonous, but which swallow their prey entire, and 

 in large quantities at a time, as is the case with the 

 boas,' pythons, and other great crushing serpents, 

 have the same kind of sniel!, though it is not perhaps 

 quite so offensive as that of the crotali. 



Hence it should seem that there is a power of the 

 decomposition of animal matter about all the true 

 serpents, whether it is concentrated into a direct, and 

 local poisoning apparatus or not ; and this great power 

 of decomposition appears to be necessary for the 

 animals, as they have not the means of separating 

 the digestible parts of their food from the indigestible 

 before it is taken into the stomach ; neither do they 

 appear to return any of the indigestible parts in 

 castings, as is done by owls, and various other birds. 



The crotali, and the other members of the subdi- 

 vision, require the stimulus of the warmest climates 

 and seasons to call forth their energies, and even the 

 common state of the hottest countries does not, upon 

 ordinary occasions, seem capable of rousing them to 

 their full powers. It has been matter of observation, 

 that they have more than common activity, and are 

 more dangerous than ordinary, when the air is in a 

 highly electric state. 



This is less or more the case with all animals, and 

 even with the human race, protected as they are from 

 at least some of the vicissitudes of nature by artificial 

 means ; and it is very worthy of remark, that those 

 serpents are the animals which are at once most 

 strongly excited by the physiological circumstances 

 of their own nature during the times they are in 

 action, the most dependent upon high temperature 

 for their activity, and the most energetic when most 

 exposed to an electric state of the atmosphere. We 

 have here the facts brought together in the instance 

 of the very same creature, that the energy of life, the 

 intensity of heat, and the excitement of electricity, 

 increase and decrease together; and, if this is not 

 proof that the three principles are one and the same, 

 only differently modified, by being exerted through 

 different combinations of matter, it proves to a de- 

 monstration that they are very closely related. 



Serpents of this subdivision do not climb trees, 

 neither do they move about with the flexible graces 

 and waving motions of the harmless serpents. When 

 they are on the march, they proceed in a straight 

 course ; and when they lie in wait for their prey, 

 they all assume that position which is so well known 

 under the name of the " adder's coil." Every one 



who has seen a lurking adder, must be aware that 

 the centre of this coil, or spiral, contains the head 

 of the serpent, that the head is elevated to some 

 length, in order to give the animal a view of what- 

 ever is around it, but that the greater part of the 

 body is coiled level on the ground, and that it is the 

 uncoiling of this spiral, acting very nearly in the same 

 manner as the unbending of the spring of a watch, 

 which gives them their impetus. If the enemy, or 

 rather the prey, is of large size, they are worked into 

 a corresponding degree of irritation ; their eves 

 gleam their cheeks are inflated their lips are pulled 

 tight their large gape is opened to the full extent 

 their fangs are erected, ready to inflict the fatal bite, 

 and their lengthened tongue is lolled out, as if in 

 mockery of any defence which may be offered against 

 that terrible poison with which they are armed. 



But though upon the appearance of large prey, and 

 especially of danger, they are excited apparently to 

 madness, and their whole body quivers as if they 

 themselves were under the influence of some terrible 

 stimulus from without, yet there is method in their 

 madness, and they will not spring upon any animal 

 which they are unable to swallow, unless they are 

 reduced to extremities by impending hostility ; so that 

 it will be found that the greater number of those who 

 are bitten by these serpents, are either bitten in con- 

 sequence of treading unawares upon them, or for 

 making an unskilful attack. The most poisonous of 

 them, if it sees a man or other large animal, when on 

 its ordinary march, will get out of the way as fast as 

 possible, and conceal itself in the nearest cover ; but, 

 if it is coiled, and waiting for prey, and especially if 

 its prey is in sight, it cannot be expected to quit its 

 position without showing resentment ; for there are 

 few domestic animals which, when hungry, suffer 

 themselves tamely to be driven from their food. 



Birds which feed on the ground, various reptiles, 

 squirrels, rats, and, generally speaking, all mammalia 

 not larger than hares (according to the size of the 

 individual serpent), form the common prey of the 

 crotali. As they are no climbers, and as their motions 

 on the ground are so slow and so much in the straight 

 line that they would have little chance of capturing 

 any prey by pursuing it, they necessarily have re- 

 course to springing from the coil ; and, in so far as 

 animals of different classes can be compared, they 

 bear no inconsiderable resemblance to the cat family, 

 only these spring from the crouch, Awhile th* poison- 

 ous serpents spring from the coil. But it is worthy 

 of remark, that the more powerful cats which spring 

 upon large prey, invariably work themselves into a 

 state of great excitement before they throw them- 

 selves upon their prey ; and it is not less worthy of 

 remark, that the cat family are remarkable for the 

 excitability of electric action in them ; and it is pro- 

 bable that it is an instinctive effort to lessen the 

 annoyance of atmospheric electricity, which induces 

 the common cat to wet its fur, or wash its face as it is 

 usually expressed, in electric states of the air. 



The power of fascination which these serpents have 

 over their smaller prey, has been so often mentioned, 

 as to leave little doubt that it is in a great measure 

 true ; and they are not the only animals which, upon 

 sight of their mortal enemies, are rendered quite help- 

 less by excess of fear. That they themselves can be 

 charmed by musical sounds seems also to be esta- 

 blished upon pretty good authority ; and for this also 

 there are precedents among the other animals ; indeed 

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