174 ^ BATTLE SNAKES. 



juice ; this is received into the round orifice 6f 

 the teeth, conveyed through the tube into the 

 channel, and thence with unerring direction into 

 the w^ound. 



Appended to the tail is a crepitaculum or rattle, 

 a crustaceous substance composed of joints loose- 

 ly connected 5 each distinct joint, or compartment, 

 denotes a year of the life of the animal, and the 

 number of joints indicates its age, after the third 

 year, but according to some observers, after the 

 second, and in the opinion of others, after the 

 first year. Linna?us has arranged the crotalus 

 genus under four species, and his specific differ- 

 ences consist in the number of plates of the belly 

 and tail. The crotalus horridus, or common rat- 

 tle snake, has, he says, 167 plates on the belly, 

 and 23 belonging to the tail. In the common 

 acceptation of the country, there are but two 

 kinds ; upland, which is large, and a small kind, 

 which inhabits swamps. It was denominated by 

 Nieremberg, an old author, domina serpentum. 



The one I saw was caught near the cataract of 

 Niagara. Charlevoix observed in his tour to the 

 west, a great number in the vicinity of this cele- 

 brated place. They are said to have a den in a 

 forest a few miles off, and there is also another 

 den about 15 miles east of Lewiston, near the 

 Causeway, A small island near Grand Island, ii> 



