106 SERPENTS 



Originally the borne <>f this species embraced the entire 

 territory from the Atlantic coast l<> western Iowa, Kansas, 

 mill Into Texas. In many portions of this region ii Btill exists 

 in small numbers, and is said h> be "fairly common in the 

 Allegheny Mountains/' from Pennsylvania southward. 



Tin. Horned Rattlesnake, or Side- Winder, 1 of the Far 

 Southwesl is a creature of the deserts, and the oddesl member 

 of this group. Il has a small horn over each eye, and in 

 crawling il moves sidewise, in very deep curves, totally dif- 

 ferenl from the straightforward course of most rattlesnakes 

 when on the war-path. This is the smallest of our rattlers. 

 lis genera] color is yellowish gray, marked by small round 

 spots. ; 1 1 1 < 1 its home is in southern Arizona, California, Ne 

 vada and probably Sonora, Mexico. 



The Bubhmaster, 9 ;i viper which is also known as the 

 Mapepire and Sirocucu, is the reptilian terror of the land 

 thai il inhabits tropical South America, extending north- 

 ward into Central America. Il is the largest, the most showy, 

 and apparently the most deadly of the poisonous serpents of 

 the western hemisphere. lis maximum length is said to be 12 

 feet, ImiI it is rather slender, and larks the gross thickness of 

 the cotton-mouth moccasin and the diamond rattler of our 

 (iulf coast. Its colors are so striking as to render this ser- 

 pent easily recognizable. It> pinkish-yellow ground-color is 

 ornamented on the upper surface with large, open diamonds 

 of Mack or dark brown that form a continuous chain from 



neck to tail. The tail IS really Mack, marked by narrow 



l>auds of the light ground-color. The scales of this snake 



1 < ro'to-iui tea, /•< efo'tu mu'hu. 



