RATTLESNAKES 99 



the blankets of men sleeping upon the ground. Every year 

 thousands of cow-boys sleep on the ground, literally among 

 these reptiles, without a single Rattlesnake accident. 



Thanks to a long-standing acquaintance with this ser- 

 pent, I have myself on numberless occasions "bedded down 

 in the open" in Montana, Wyoming, Florida and elsewhere, 

 with not a moment's fear of snakes. Depend upon it, a Rat- 

 tlesnake does not go about looking for trouble. His best 

 efforts are devoted to the promotion of peace and longevity- 

 Bey ond question, the Rattler is a serpent of timid and re- 

 tiring disposition. It has not one-half the courage of the 

 hog-nosed snake, nor a quarter of the cobra's vicious aggres- 

 siveness. If you encounter one at a fair distance, say 10 

 feet, it will either crawl away, slowly and defensively, or coil 

 and warn you to keep off. In its feeding habits, in captiv- 

 ity, it is one of the most timid and nervous of all reptiles, and 

 seldom eats save when safe from observation and interrup- 

 tion. When darkness falls, and the Reptile House is entirely 

 quiet, the Rattler bashfully swallows his freshly killed rat 

 or guinea-pig. 



My first experiment with a captive Rattlesnake, a huge 

 Diamond Rattler from Florida, was to catch and place in 

 its cage a live rat. The rat ran over the snake several times, 

 and greatly annoyed it. The snake endeavored to get away 

 from its disreputable associate, but in vain. 



At last the rat flew at the Rattler, and bit him severely 

 on the lips! This was too much to be endured. In a great 

 rage the snake drew back, seized the body of the rat in its 

 wide jaws, and held on while it drove its fangs through the 



