44 



Serpents.- 



-REPTILES.- 



-ViPERisE Serpents. 



tinguish the sound. Battlesnakes are said by many of 

 onr earlier writers to exhale a nauseous and fetid odour, 

 ■which spreads to a considerable distance around them. 

 By many fond of marvellous tales, this is believed to he 

 the secret of the fascinating power ascribed .so commonly 

 to this reptile. With regard to tliis attribute of sei-pents 

 we have already made some general remarks at page 

 38, to which we refer the reader. We will only further 

 quote Mr. Holbrook's opinion upon this power in the 

 Rattlesnake: — "As to the fiiscinating or charming 

 power of the Rattlesnake, I have every reason to 

 believe it a fable ; a modification'of that of the basilisk 

 of the ancients, a creature whose deadly glance would 

 alone prove fatal. The Rev. Dr. Buchanan, an excel- 

 lent naturalist, also informs me, that he has more than 

 once observed Rattlesnakes watching for hours at the 

 root of large trees, on the branches of which sported 

 Kome innocent squirrel, unconscious of the ' charmer 

 below ; ' but woo betide him should he descend to the 

 earth in search of water, or of fallen nuts or acorns. 

 There are even still more tales of the charming power 

 of the Black snake than of the Rattlesnake, to whom it 

 would be useless; for he is bold, lively, active, and 

 climbs the loftiest trees in pursuit of his prej', wlrle tlie 

 Rattlesnake waits patiently below." The food of the 

 Rattlesnake consists of birds, squirrels, rabbits, rats, 

 &c.; and in addition to his so much vaunted fascinating 

 power, he has been endowed by some writers with the 

 gift of climbing trees with great dexterity. This, how- 

 ever, does not seem to be the case, and as Mr. Hol- 

 brook justly observes, his organization scorns ill adapted 

 for it. His body is thick and clumsy; the tail is short, 

 and not apparently calculated for laying hold of objects ; 

 and the rattles too which terminate this organ would 

 form an awkward appendage in climbing. On tlie con- 

 trary, in those serpents which do climb trees with faci- 

 lity the body is slender, the tail very long and delicate, 

 and may with ease be used as a prehensile instrument. 

 When full gro^-n, the Rattlesnake is naturally of an 

 indolent and sluggisli nature. His movements are 

 slow and inactive, and ho lies quietly in wait for his 

 prey, stretched on the ground in the form of an S, and 

 never attacks man unless provoked or irritated. He 

 seems to have somewhat of a magnanimous dispo- 

 sition, and never wantonly destroys other animals, 

 except as food for himself. A very slight touch, how- 

 ever, or even a noise close at hand, will disturb his 

 repose, and he then immediate!}' coils himself up, 

 sliakes his rattles violently in sign of rage, and strikes 

 at whatever is placed within his reach. In Lis native 

 woods one may pass within a few feet of him unmo- 

 lested, though aware of the passenger's presence. He 

 either lies quiet, or glides away to a more retired spot. 

 Jlr. Holbrook says, " He never follows the object of his 

 rage, whether an animal that has unwarily approached 

 so near as to touch him, or only a stick thrust at bira 

 to provoke his anger, but strikes on the spot, and pre- 

 pares to repeat the blow; or he may slowly retreat like 

 an unconquered enemy, sure of his strength, but not 

 choosing further combat. It is remarkable that he 

 never strikes unless coiled ; so that if once thrown 

 from this position, he may be approached with less 

 danger." 



Though the natural habit of the Rattlesnake is that 

 of indolence and sluggishness, his movements, when 

 he is roused to bite, are extremely rapid ; and, contrary 

 to the ordinary custom of most serpents, he is not con- 

 tent with biting once, but bites again and agam with 

 astonishing celerit}'. Spix describes the motion of his 

 head at such times to be like that of the woodpeckers 

 tapping the trees in search of insects ; and Lacepede 

 informs us that, in reference to this rapidity in striking 

 his prey, the Rattlesnake is called in Mexico Ecacoatl, 

 or the Wiiitl. In the colder parts of America, Rattle- 

 snakes pass tlie winter in a lethargic state. They take 

 up their abode in secluded spots, in holes in the ground 

 along with toads, &c., or under masses of the sphagnum 

 or bog moss, in marshy soils, and remain there till after 

 the vernal equinox. During this time they appear to 

 have no inclinalion to bite; and even when they do, 

 as long as the cold weather continues, their bite is not 

 dangerous. In the summer months, however, and 

 more especially in the month of August and in the 

 beginning of September, their poison is very fatal. 

 The slit,ditest prick at such times, it is said, will suffice 

 to kill the largest animal. The effects of the poison 

 of this reptile upon man are very alarming. They 

 depend, Jiowever, a good deal upon circumstances. It 

 does not aflect all individuals equally. For example, 

 it is said — and experience seems to confirm the fact — it 

 has less influence upon a fat than upon a thin person, 

 less upon an Indian or negro than upon a white man, 

 and more upon a stranger than a native. It is less 

 dangerous, also, according as it has wounded only 

 fleshy parts ; whilst it is almost sure to be fotal if the 

 fang has punctured the smallest bloodvessel, especially 

 if it be on the upper part of the body.. Many remedies 

 have been employed against the direful effects of such 

 poison, but up to the present time few are known that 

 possess any efficacy. Rattlesnakes, as has been already' 

 mentioned, are viviparous, and they liave, most pro- 

 bablj' unjustly, been accused of eating their j'oung. 

 M. Palisot do Beauvois, and most naturalists who have 

 observed them in their native haunts, deny this ; and 

 this last-mentioned traveller accounts for the assertion 

 so boldly made bj' some writers, by stating as a fiict 

 that they, in times of danger, receive their young into 

 their mouth and throat as a place of refuge. In the 

 first journey made bj' tliis naturalist in the countr}' of 

 the native Tcharlohee he saw a Rattlesnake in his 

 path, and approached it as softly as possible. At the 

 moment when he was about to strike it, the animal 

 shook its rattles, opened its throat wide, and received 

 into it five little ones, each about as thick as a gooso 

 quill. At the end of ten minutes, however, during 

 which he had watched the reptile's motions, believing 

 itself out of danger, he observed it open its mouth 

 again, and let the young ones out, receiving them into 

 it afresh at the appearance of a new danger. These 

 reptiles have many foes, but their chief foe is the com- 

 mon hog, which devours them in great numbers in 

 places where they ma}' happen to abound. Other 

 serpents, too, larger than themselves, destroy them ; 

 and man, with his progress of civilization, is now 

 sweeping them before him. In former times, and to 

 a certain extent in some places still, the Indians neve'' 



