86 Rafinesqut on the Red Adder, 



claw, of an oblong, compressed, obtuse shape, and carinated 

 underneath. 



This snake has many of the habits of the rattlesnake ; he is 

 very slow in his motions, rather clumsy, owing to his thick 

 shape and short tail. He retires in winter into caves, hollow 

 rocks, and trees, where he lies, in a torpid state, from Novem- 

 ber to April ; several have been found coiled up together, the 

 head lying over the back : it is in the same situation he sleeps 

 in the fields. When found in the torpid state, they may be 

 carried without waking 5 but might wake in a warm room. 

 They do not eat during all that time : their food consists of 

 birds, frogs, mice, and even squirrels, which they catch by 

 surprise, as they do not climb on trees. They kill their large 

 prey by breathing a poisonous effluvia, crushing it in their 

 folds, and they swallow it whole after covering it with their 

 clammy saliva. They can remain a very long time without a 

 meal, and one meal is a long time digesting. 



They are generally found in meadows, pastures, and the 

 edge of woods. They creep slovenly through the grass, and 

 if surprised by the sight of man, they assume an erect and 

 threatening posture, darting their tongue and swelling their 

 head ; but they do not attack men, unless alarmed and struck. 

 They are considered more dangerous than the rattlesnake, 

 because they do not give notice of their vicinity, and lie con- 

 cealed in the grass; but they are easily killed, when assuming 

 the threatening posture, by a slight touch of a cane, spade, or 

 any other instrument. The effects of their bite is similar to 

 that of the rattlesneike, and cured in the same way, by the 

 prompt application of the Aristolochia serpentaria, Polygala 

 senega, Prenanthes serpentaria, Macrotry serpentaria, &c. and 

 other plants, bearing in consequence the name of snakeroots. 

 This snake is found in New-England, New-York, New- 

 Jersey, Pennsylvania, &c., and perhaps all over the United 

 States. 



