304 RAMBLES ABOUT HOME. 



at the same time vibrated the tail very rapidly and 

 such a manner that it gently struck the dead leaves as it 

 moved up and down. The motion was distinctly up and 

 down, and not sideways, as in the case of the hog-nose 

 snake. The sound produced was exactly like that of a 

 medium-sized rattlesnake. On removing the snake to a 

 spot near by, where there was only grass, I found that 

 the movement of the tail was not repeated, although 

 some time elapsed before I teased it. After several ef- 

 forts I replaced the snake among the leaves and allowed 

 it to remain for more than an hour. It made no effort to 

 escape, and, when I returned suddenly, it quickly coiled 

 itself as before, repeated the vibratory movement of the 

 tail, and produced the same rattling sound as before. 

 This can scarcely be considered as positive evidence ; but 

 my impression then was, and still is, that the snake de- 

 pended upon the dead leaves to produce the rattling 

 sound, and trusted to the sound to frighten its tormentor. 

 As we naturally associate this sound with the similar but 

 very significant rattle of the rattlesnake, are the two spe- 

 cies in any manner connected ? 



A similar occurrence to that mentioned above has been 

 described in the " American Naturalist," September, 1879, 

 and the writer asks : " Is this to be called an example of 

 4 mimicry ' ? May it be said that, far back in the past, some 

 sagacious ancestor, witnessing that act of intimidation on 

 the part of a rattlesnake, and observing how successful 

 it was, resolved to adopt the practice itself, and thus, 

 through inheritance, the practice became ingrafted upon 

 this species ? " 



It has not, so far as I am aware, been shown that the 

 sound produced by the vibration of the tail does produce 

 a feeling of terror in the breast of any creature, whether 

 it is attacking the snake or attacked by it. If it be true 



