156 ECONOMIC ZOOLOGY 



The copperhead, which is the smallest representative of the three 

 groups of pit vipers, except some of the smallest rattlers, perhaps never 

 proves fatal to a human adult, at any rate the author has never heard 

 nor read of a fatal case, though he has met several persons who had 

 been bitten by this species of snake. 



The moccasin, to be described later, though belonging to the same 

 genus as the copperhead, reaches a much larger size, and may inflict a 

 fatal wound. 



The bite of one of the larger rattlers may cause the death of a man 

 within an hour's time, while some of the "ground" or pigmy rattlers are 

 so small that their bite would probably not be a very serious" matter 

 to a healthy man. 



To illustrate the virulence of rattlesnake venom the author put a 

 mouse in the cage with a young Timber Rattler scarcely more than a 

 foot long. With a single, lightning-like stroke the rattler hit the mouse, 

 which dropped in its tracks and, with a convulsive quiver, was dead in 

 less than 15 seconds. Other mice, when struck by the same snake, 

 lived for a much longer time, probably not having been struck in so 

 vital a spot. 



Although so deadly, there are extremely few deaths in this country 

 from the bite of rattlesnakes and other venomous serpents; this is in 

 marked contrast to some of the tropical countries; in India, for example, 

 more than 20,000 people are killed each year by poisonous snakes. 

 This high mortality is doubtless due not only to the great abun- 

 dance of snakes, but also to the fact that a large proportion of 

 the dense population goes about with bare feet and legs, thus giving the 

 short-fanged serpents of that region every opportunity to get in their 

 deadly work. The fangs of even some of the large cobras of the orient 

 are so short that, it is said, they cannot reach the flesh through ordi- 

 nary clothing, so that Europeans living in these cobra-infested regions 

 are not often injured. 



Records of serious or even fatal accidents with rattlesnakes in 

 captivity are fairly numerous. 



As to the best treatment of injuries from venomous snakes authori- 

 ties differ somewhat, though the general treatment that is recommended 

 is about as follows, promptness being of prime importance: if the 

 wound be upon the arm or leg, and it nearly always is, immediately put a 

 tight ligature (a handkerchief twisted with a stick, if nothing better be 



