EEPTILIA 



217 



grooved are present in the front part of the upper jaw of 

 all venomous snakes. The red forked tongue darted 

 quickly back and forth is by many wrongly supposed to be 

 the sting of the snake. 



The only venomous serpents of our country are the 

 rattlesnakes, copperhead pilot, cotton mouth or southern 

 moccasin, harlequin, and coral or bead snake. 



The rattlesnakes, which are not found outside of America, 

 number about a 

 dozen species in the 

 United States. They 

 are characterized by 

 the possession of 

 from three to fifteen 

 horny buttons at 

 the end of the tail. 

 The number of these 

 buttons or rattles 

 does not tell the age 

 of the reptile, as two 

 or three are grown 

 in a year, while one 

 or more may be lost. 

 The poison lying in 

 a sac just below each eye passes out through a duct lead- 

 ing through the center of the fang. The bite is usually 

 fatal to man in from ten to fifteen hours, unless some 

 remedy is used. A deep gash should be made with a knife 

 so as to let the poisoned blood escape from the wound, 

 and if in an extremity a tight bandage should be placed 

 above it to prevent the poison from reaching the other 



FIG. 250. Rattlesnake three feet long coiled ready 

 to strike. In this position it can dart its head for- 

 ward two feet only. Photograph. 



