Rattlesnakes. REPTILES. The Boiquika. 



45 



Idlled the R.ittlesiiake, as Ihey believed that if they 

 dill, the sjiiiit of the killed snake would cause his 

 living kindred or relations to revenge his death upon 

 them. Bartram relates some amusing instances of this 

 superstition among these people ia his " Travels in the 

 United States." 



THE COMMON OR BAUBED RATTLESNAKE ( Urop- 

 sophus dtirissus) has the widest range of all tlie species 

 of this family, being found, according to Mr. Holbrook's 

 account, in nearly all parts of the United States. 

 Kalni, the Swedish naturalist and traveller, saw it in 

 north lat. 45°, near I;ake Champlain, and Mr. Hol- 

 brook says he has seen specimens from the borders of 

 the Gulf of Mexico and as far west as Red river, 

 while Sny met with it in north lat. 40°, on the Missis- 

 sippi. It is the species figured in Plate 4, fig. 3. 

 The head is very large and triangular, broad, and 

 truncate anteriorly, covered with plates only in front, 

 and with minute scales on the crown and back part; 

 die nostrils are large, and very near the snout, but 

 open laterally ; the eyes are large, and extremely 

 brilliant when the animal is enraged ; the mouth is 

 large, and the jaws strong ; the neck is very much 

 contracted, and covered with carinated scales larger 

 than those on the head ; the body is elongated, but 

 thick, and covered with rough, carinated, rhomboidal 



scales .above, and broad plates below ; the tail is 

 short, slightly conical, and sustains a greater or less 

 number of rattles ; the neck and body are of a pale 

 ash colour, with a line of yellow along the back, 

 including three scales; the body is marked with a 

 triple series of dark irregular blotches and bars along 

 tlie back ; the belly is of a dirty reddish-straw colour, 

 freckled with minute black dots. 



The Banded Rattlesnake was first made known to 

 naturalists by Catesby. In his description of poisonous 

 snakes in the Carolinas, he says — " Of these Vipers 

 the Rattlesnake is most formidable, being the largest 

 and most ten'ible of all the rest. The largest I ever 

 saw was one about eight feet in length, weighing 

 between eight and nine pounds. These are commonly 

 believed to be the most deadly venomous serpent of 

 an}' in these parts of America. I believe they are so, 

 as being generally the largest, and making a deeper 

 wound, and injecting a greater quantity of poison." 



THE BOIQUIEA, or Cascavella, by which names 

 the other species of Rattlesnake is known {Crotalus 

 horridus) — represented in Plate 8, fig. 3 and 3a (skele- 

 ton and skull), and fig. annexed — is a native of Brazil, 

 Peru, and many other parts of South America; rang- 

 ing indeed, according to Spix, as far as the Straits of 

 Magellan. It was first made known by Marcgrave, 



Fig. U. 



TIead of Boiquira or Cascavella. 



who described it soon after the discovery of America, 

 and names it the Boioinininga. Its habits are much 

 the same as the species described above. It is larger, 

 however, and, Spix says, may easily be distinguished by 

 its ver.y strong musky smell. Being larger and more 

 powerful than the Banded Rattlesnake, it is no wonder 

 tliat in the earlj- periods after the conquest of America, 

 the Cascavella should have created great dread and 

 fear amongst the Europeans. In Brazil, Spix says, the 

 bite of this reptile is generally fatal within thirty-six 

 hours. 



Fajiily II.— VIPERIDiE (F(>«-.s). 



The second family of the Viperine snakes consists 

 of the true Vipers ( Viperida:),* and form a very natu • 

 ral group. They are distinguished from the Eattle- 



• From the Latin word vicipara^ viviparous. 



snakes (Crohdlda:) by their face being destitute of tlie 

 pit or depression which, in these latter, is observable 

 on each side between the eye and the nostril. Tlie 

 rostrum or muzzle is covered with large scales, or 

 shields, which are broad and band-like. The scales of 

 the body are (with one exception — the genus Acan- 

 tlinphis) always keeled, and those of the head arc, in 

 many species, elongated into a point, so as to form 

 a kind of horn, wliich, placed as they generally 

 are above the eye, give a very peculiar physiognomy 

 to these reptiles. In form they are generally more 

 thick-set and heavy-looking than the Rattlesnakes, and 

 their tail is always short and conical. Tliey rarely 

 grow to any considerable size, varying from two or 

 three to four feet. Their food consists of mice, frogs, 

 lizards, and birds, &c. They prefer as their place of 

 abode, open places, dry, arid, sandy, or covered with 

 a sparse vegetation, and are exclusively natives of 

 the Old World. With the exception of one specier, 



