The Rattlesnakes 



the early part of June, it prepares to shed its skin again and the 

 distension at the base of the diminutive rattle shows the presence 

 of another "ring" to be uncovered. This ring proves to be con- 

 siderably larger than the first one; its increased size appeals to 

 the growth of the snake itself. The rattle now appears like 

 Fig. 3 of the series of illustrations. In this way the development 

 of the rattle goes on, each ring being of larger size than the pre- 

 ceding until the snake has attained maturity and growth ceases. 



It can thus be appreciated that if the rattle of a snake 

 possesses the original button of birth, we may estimate the age cf 

 the reptile by allowing the button and first ring for about the first 

 nine months this including the period of the first hibernation, 

 and counting each three additional rings as a year.- The reptile 

 usually sheds its skin three times during the warm season, in the 

 spring, during mid-summer and in the fall. If the button has 

 been lost through wear or accident and the rattle has a distinctly 

 tapering outline toward its tip, the number of lost segments may 

 be estimated, but if all the segments are of uniform size, it will 

 be understood that the rings of youth have been lost and possibly 

 many others. With such a specimen there is no way of ascer- 

 taining the age except to realise that it is fully grown and mature 

 at the time the terminal ring of the rattle was developed as this 

 agrees in size with that at the base of the appendage. 



Sometimes we find snakes with the segments of the rattle 

 decreasing in size toward the base. A specimen captured 

 by the writer in Pennsylvania had a rattle like this. The 

 character was accounted for by stories of nearby residents 

 of an extensive forest fire that swept through the region 

 several years back. At the time of the fire, the snake was prob- 

 ably sheltered in some deep crevice of a ledge and escaped the 

 conflagration, which consumed the fallen and hollow tree trunks 

 in which were the nests of the wild mice and ground squirrels. 

 In consequence, living had been scanty for some time. 



Captive snakes that fast for lengthy periods, or feed irreg- 

 ularly, grow rattles like this, but upon regaining their appetites, 

 the succeeding rings are of normal size. 



The longest rattle examined by the writer consisted of seven- 

 teen segments, which was unusual, owing to the average limited 

 number, as previously explained. On this rattle, the last three 

 rings were worn and broken, and they were shaken from it several 



43i 



