OPHIDIA. SERPENTIA. 55 



The first was struck immediately, and died in two 

 minutes ; the second, then put in, was not attacked 

 for more than half an hour, and, when bitten, sur- 

 vived twenty minutes ; on the introduction of the 

 third, however, the Snake could not be induced to 

 strike it during the whole evening, but in the night 

 the rat became the aggressor, being found in the 

 morning alive and well, but the Snake dead and 

 partly eaten.* 



Like our own Viper, and other venomous Ser- 

 pents, the Rattlesnakes produce their young alive, 

 the membrane of the egg being probably ruptured 

 in the moment of birth. They also receive their 

 young into the throat in a moment of unexpected 

 danger. "M. Palisot de Beauvois saw a Rattle- 

 snake in a path, and approached it as softly as 

 possible. At the moment when it was about to 

 be struck, the animal agitated its rattles, opened 

 a wide throat, and received into it five little ones, 

 each about as thick as a goose-quill: but at the 

 end of ten minutes, believing itself out of danger, 

 it opened its mouth again and let the young ones 

 out, which, however, entered there again on the 

 appearance of a new danger. Mr. Guillemart has 

 verified the same fact."f 



* Br. Kept, p. 62. t Griffith, An. King. vol. ix. p. 344. 



