REPTILES. 



127 



more than eight or nine, and the long strings occasionally exhibited 

 as curiosities are in most instances formed bj' the joining together 

 of several strings. 

 Another popular fallacy regarding these snakes is that the ex- 



Vk^ DOMINION OF CANADA 



ILLINOIS li 



L 





T£«.t»o ERIE 



Fig. 44. Distribution of Sistrurus catenatus. 

 *^ Horizontal ruling, specimens examined; vertical ruling, reports only. 



traction of the fangs renders them harmless. It is true that it does 

 so for a time, but, as is well known to scientists, new fangs soon 

 replace the old ones when the latter are broken off or shed. This 

 is in fact a wise provision of nature, since the long fangs are occa- 

 sionallv broken off bv the strugofles of the prev. 



The writer will not take space to describe further the character- 



