8 



KNOWLEDGE 



[Januaey 1, 1898. 



all single; the third upper labial is very large, and usually 

 enters the eye. 



You are at once struck by the bluntuess of the muzzle 

 and the closeness of the eye to the nose, which gives it a 

 very vicious appearance. The colour is generally sombre — 

 usually a dark slaty brown — with darker cross markings. 

 It is said to be of a quarrelsome disposition (some former 

 naturalists qualified it as pw/na.r), and it will certainly 

 fight with anything that is put into the same case, be it 

 rat, snake, or stick. For all that, I have heard that it is 

 easily tamed, and becomes, for a snake, quite affectionate. 

 It attains a length of about four feet, and is very heavy 

 and bulky for its size. It is plentiful in the south-eastern 

 United States, where, under the names of " cottonmouth," 

 " water mocassin," and " water viper," it enjoys a very bad 

 reputation, which was confirmed in my mind by a sad 

 story I heard the other day from a trustworthy source. 

 A certain good sportsman, while fishing in Florida, had 

 made his camp near the water ; and finding, after supper, 

 that he had left something in the boat, he desired his 

 servant to go and fetch it. The servant, who was native 

 to the country, hesitated, saying that he heard a mocassin 

 out fishing ; but his master, after listening for some time 

 and hearing nothing, pooh-pooh'd the idea. The poor 

 fellow reluctantly obeyed, and on his way to the boat was 

 struck, and died in a few hours. I gathered from my 

 informant that these serpents are quick to resent any 

 trespass on their riparian rights, especially at night. 



Second, A. Iiilincatus* — Easily to be identified by the 

 markings on the head, Eound the canthug (the sharp 

 upper edge of the snout) is a fine yellow line, which 

 usually broadens out as it passes behind the eye to its 

 termination on the neck : immediately above the mouth, 

 but not actually touching it, a broader yellow line, finely 

 edged with black, runs along the upper lip from the 

 nostril to the corner of the mouth ; there is a similar 

 vertical line on the rostral and symphysial shield, which, 

 being interpreted, means that a yellow blaok-edged line 

 runs from the tip of the snout to the chin. 



Very little is known of this handsome snake owing to 

 the detestable climate of its home in Central America. 

 There is no big gan^ there to attract sportsmen, to whom 

 our collections are so much indebted ; and he is a bold 

 naturalist who, in search of rare plants, insects, or reptiles, 

 ventures into that fever-striken wilderness. 



Third, A. (•n«<ort(/.r.t— Easily to be recognized on sight 

 by its coloration. The ground colour is a bright bur- 

 nished light copper, with darker cross binds of a rich 

 reddish brown, which are broad at the base and contract 

 as they approach the dorsal ridge, thus giving the light 

 interspaces the appearance of being broad on the back 

 and narrowing on the sides ; the head is generally lighter 

 than the ground colour. 



This snake, the copperhead, is probably the most 

 dreaded creature m North America, as well as being one 

 of the handsomest serpents known — that is, in my opinion ; 

 the general effect being more pleasing than the varied 

 hues of other more brilliant snakes. It has been classified 

 as A. moknscn, and as a good deal of error is connected 

 with the name "mocassin,"! I will take this opportunity 

 to endeavour to clear it up. There is the true mocassin, 

 Tropidnnotus ftixcidtus, a harmless snake of sombre colour; 

 the water mocassin already described ; and the upland 

 mocassin or copperhead, which is smaller and more lightly 

 built than its congener : the two last are often called the 

 "mocassin" simply. 



* Latin: "two-lined." ■(■ Latin: "twisting." 



X Mocassin is pronounced "Mokkesin." 



The only accident from a copperhead bite which I ever 

 heard from an eye-witness, terminated fatally in a few 

 hours, putrefaction setting in almost immediately after 

 death. 



Fourth, A. acutiis.* — The sharp point which projects 

 horizontally from the tip of the snout makes it impossible 

 for anyone to mistake this pit-viper. The upper part of 

 the head is very dark brown — the lower, yellow — the two 

 colours being sharply divided by a black line which runs 

 through the eye ; the general hue of the body is a dark or 

 light brown, with very dark diagonal cross bars which 

 intersect each other on the dorsal ridge. 



Very little is known about this serpent. There are, 

 I believe, only a few specimens in this country, and for 

 these we are indebted to the indefatigable Mr. Pratt, who 

 obtained them in China. Those that I have seen show it 

 to be a heavy, bulky snake ; and as the biggest of these 

 specimens is about five feet long, and about as thick as my 

 arm, I imigine it to b3 considerably the largest of the 

 group. I have been able to ascertain nothing at all about 

 the virulence of the poison ; but, I should think, from the 

 length of the fangs and the size of the poison channel, 

 that a bite would be very dangerous. 



Finally, there are three species in which the upper 

 labials are separated from the loreal pit, and the sab- 

 caudals are in pairs. 



First, A. }iayh/s\ (with which I combine for the purposes 

 of this article the A. blomhofi and the A. intenneditis). — The 

 snout is blunt and turned up ; running from the eye along 

 the temple is a dark bind with lighter edges, which is a 

 little broader than the eye ; on the snout is a dark spot, on 

 the top of the head are two more, and on the bick of the 

 head are two slanting streaks. Really about the best way 

 of recognizing this variety that I can suggest, is a 

 negative one. If it has not the characteristic marks of one 

 of the other species, then it is a hahfs. It is a smiU, pale, 

 dirty-looking viper, usually grey or brown, with no very 

 distinctive features. It is found from the coast of China 

 to the Caspian Sea, and is the only European pit-viper. 



Second, A, lliinaltiyanus.^^ — Somewhat resembles the 

 halijH, but is much darker in colour. On close examina- 

 tion it can easily be distinguished by the size of the last 

 two upper labials, which are very large and are merged 

 into the lower temporals. I have always found a very 

 thin black line, with a fine white edge, running from the 

 eye to the corner of the mouth, surmounted by a band of 

 a darker shade than the ground colour. 



I have not been able to get much information about 

 this snake, but it is probably not very dingerous. It is 

 found at even greater heights than its near relation, the 

 Lavhesis iir)>iticola,i, specimens having been seen at an 

 elevation of ten thousand feet. 



Third, A. ylioihistomn. } — A light band runs from the 

 eye to the corner of the mouth, below which is a broader 

 dark streak with a black edging. This black edging 

 skirts the upper border of the posterior upper labials in 

 small curves or festoons ; the colour of the lips, from 

 which the name is derived, is pink or yellowish. The 

 head, viewed from the side, somewhat resembles that of 

 the Iiilincatus : but a closer inspection will show that 

 the resemblance is only apparent, aud an examination 

 of the snout will clear up all doubts, as the rlwdostoina has 



* Latin : " sharp." 



t A title formerlv of a group of East Indian pit-vipers. 

 X Himalayan, latinized. 

 5 Latin: "living iji the mountains." 

 : Ori'eek 1 " rosv -mouthed. " 



