THE BUSHMASTER— RATTLESNAKE— COBRA. 010 



Unrivalled in the display of every lovely color of the rainbow, and unmatched in 

 the effects of his deadly poison, the Bushmaster or Counacutchi (Lachesis rhombeata) 

 glides on, sole monarch of the forests of Guiana or Brazil, as both man and beast fly 

 before him. In size he surpasses most other venomous species, as he sometimes grows 

 to the length of fourteen feet. Generally concealed among the fallen leaves of the 

 forest, he lives on small birds, reptiles, and mammalians, whom he is able to pursue 

 with surprising activity. Fortunately, the bushmaster is a rare serpent, frequenting 

 only the deepest shades of the thicket, where in the day-time he generally lies coiled 

 upon the ground. Still rarer, thoi^gh if possible yet more formidable, is a small brown 

 viper {Echidna ocellata), which infests the Peruvian forests. Its bite is said to be 

 able to kill a strong man within two or three minutes. The Indian, when bitten by it, 

 does not even attempt an antidote against the poison, but stoically bids adieu to his 

 comrades, and lays himself down to die. 



The ill famed, wide extended race of the rattlesnakes, which ranges from South 

 Brazil to Canada, belongs exclusively to the new world. They prefer the more ele- 

 vated, dry, and stony regions, where they lie coiled up in the thorny bushes, and only 

 attack such animals as come too near their lair. Their bite is said to be able to kill a 

 horse or an ox in ten or twelve minutes ; but, fortunately, they are afraid of man, and 

 will not venture to attack him unless provoked. When roused to anger they are, how- 

 ever, very formidable, as their fangs penetrate through the strongest boot. One of the 

 most remarkable features of their organization is a kind of rattle terminating the tail, 

 and consisting of a number of pieces inserted into each other, all alike in shape and 

 size, hollow, and of a thin, elastic, brittle substance, like that of which the scales are 

 externally formed. When provoked, the strong and rapid vibratory motions imparted 

 to the rattle produce a sound which has been compared to that of knife -grinding, but 

 it is never loud enough to be heard at any distance, and becomes almost inaudible in 

 rainy weather. 



Naturalists distinguish at least a dozen different species of rattlesnakes, the com- 

 monest of which are the Boaquira (Crotahcs horridus), which frequents the warmest 

 regions of South America, and the Durissus ( G. durissus), which has chosen the United 

 States for its principal home. The chief enemy of this serpent is the hog, whom it 

 dreads so much that on seeing one it immediately loses all its courage, and instantly 

 takes to flight. But the hog, who smells it from afar, draws nearer and nearer, his 

 bristles erected with excitement, seizes it by the neck, and devours it with great com- 

 placency, though without touching the head. As the hog is the invariable companion 

 of the settler in the backwoods, the rattlesnake everywhere disappears before the ad- 

 vance of man, and it is to be hoped that a century or two hence it will be ranked among 

 the extinct animals. The American Indians often regale on the rattlesnake. When 

 thoy find it asleep, they put a small forked stick over its neck, which they keep im- 

 movably fixed to the ground, giving the snake a piece of leather to bite, and this 

 they pull back several times with great force, until they perceive that the poison-fangs 

 are torn out. They then cut off the head, skin the body, and cook it as we do eels. 

 The flesh is said to be white and excellent. 



None of the American snakes inhabit the Old World, but in the East Indies and 

 Ceylon other no less dangerous species appear upon- the scene, among which the 

 celebrated Cobra de Capello is one of the most deadly. A few years since, a cobra 



