570 AMPHIBIALA. 



effects. Birds have been seen to drop into its mouth, squirrels de 

 scend from their trees, and leverets run into its jaws. Terror and 

 amazement seem to lay hold on these little animals; they make vio- 

 lent efforts to get away, still keeping their eyes fixed on those of the 

 snake ; at length, wearied with their movements, and frightened 

 out of all capacity of knowing the course they ought to take, be- 

 come, at length, the prey of the expecting devourer ; probably in 

 their last convulsive motion." The same author observes, that 

 rattle-snakes, in general, swarm in the less inhabited parts of North 

 America ; but are now almost extirpated in the more populous parts. 

 None are found farther north than the mountains near Lake Cham- 

 plain ', but infest South America, even as far as Brazil. They love 

 woods and lofty hills, especially where the strata are rocky or 

 chalky ; the pass near Niagara abounds with them. Being slow of 

 motion, they frequent the sides of rills, to make prey of frogs, or 

 such animals as resort there to quench their thirst ; are generally 

 found during summer in pairs ; in winter collecting in multitudes, 

 and retiring under ground, beyond the reach of frost ; tempted by 

 the warmth of a spring day, they are often observed to creep out 

 weak and languid ; a person has seen a piece of ground covered 

 with them, and killed with a rod between sixty and seventy; till 

 overpowered with the stench, he was obliged to retire *. 



The rattlesnake is a viviparous animal ; producing its young in 

 the month of June, generally about twelve in number; and which 

 by September acquire the length of twelve inches. It is said to 

 practise the same extraordinary mode of preserving its young from 

 danger which is attributed to the viper in Europe, viz. of receiving 

 them into its mouth and swallowing them. Of this we have the at- 

 testation of M. de Beauvois+, who declares himself an eye-witness 

 of the process. This gentleman saw a large rattle-snake, which he 

 happened to disturb in his walks, and which immediately coiled 

 itself up, opened its jaws, and instantly five small ones, which were 

 lying by it, rushed into its mouth. The author retired and watched 

 the snake, and in a quarter of an hour saw her again discharge them. 

 He then approached it a second time, when the young retired into its 

 mouth with greater celerity than before, and the snake immediately 

 moved off among the grass and escaped. This happened at a place 



* A ret. Zool, suppl. p. 88. + American Phil. Trans, vol. it. 



