The Rattlesnakes 



movement, a slightly increasing pressure of the fingers to re- 

 strain a movement on the reptile's part and the fangs have done 

 their work. It is almost involuntary for the more irritable of 

 the venomous snakes to instantly turn and bite at an object that 

 presses against their bodies. This tendency may be noted in a 

 snake freshly killed, and decapitated. Upon pinching the rep- 

 tile's side the headless neck will fly around to the spot in a manner 

 thoroughly startling to the individual accidentally figuring in such 

 a demonstration. At the same time, the severed head is very 

 dangerous for if the neck is grasped carelessly an inch or so be- 

 hind the head, the latter will instantly turn and bite in the same 

 fashion as if attached to the living snake. The writer has wit- 

 nessed some narrow escapes from injury, by persons who were 

 not acquainted with the tenacity of life, exhibited in the muscles 

 of snakes that had been harshly belaboured with an axe or club. 



A gentleman with whom the writer is acquainted, is un- 

 fortunately "gifted" with considerable recklessness in handling 

 poisonous serpents. The former had a number of rattlesnakes 

 in his collection which he handled with the greatest indifference, 

 permitting the reptiles to crawl through his fingers and over his 

 arms like ordinary harmless snakes. They were in his possession 

 for several months, and during that time no accident resulted 

 from his careless exhibitions of the creatures to his friends. One 

 day he discovered that the largest of the snakes was the mother 

 of nine little ones. In the haste to open the case to examine the 

 youngsters he so disturbed the female that she coiled and rattled 

 vigorously. With his usual display of recklessness he removed 

 all of the baby rattlers, that were gliding over and around the 

 parent, and without accident. After such blind daring without 

 bad results, it is interesting to explain that this careless her- 

 petologist soon received his lesson. Placing the young reptiles 

 on a table to watch their movements, he was embarrassed by 

 their inclination to glide in all directions. In preventing one 

 of the babies from dropping over the edge of the table, the man 

 was bitten. Although the snake was but a few hours old, its 

 tiny fangs produced an injury that served as a practical and 

 painful demonstration of the effects of rattlesnake poison. 



In a wild state, the Banded Rattlesnake prefers flight to 

 combat and, though rattling harshly when disturbed, will generally 

 glide away, sounding its warning note as it goes, in graceful, 



445 



