ORDER OPHIDIA. 345 



mentioned as having forty or fifty pieces in their rattles, and 

 being from eight to ten feet in length. The notions, how- 

 ever, existing on this subject are very confused and uncertain. 

 They have great tenacity of life. 



Tyson dissected one, which lived many days after most 

 part of the viscera had been removed, and the skin torn oflP. 

 M. Bosc has tried similar experiments on those which have 

 fallen into his hands. 



The Crotalus Horridus^ L. Banded Rattle-snake^ Shaw, 

 is a native of Southern America. It is named boicininga by 

 Pison and Marcgrave. The Mexicans, according to Hern- 

 andez, called it teuhtlacot zauhqui, which means queen of 

 serpents. The Portuguese of Brazil designate it under the 

 name of cascavela, and the natives employ the terms bo'i- 

 quira and boicininga. 



The boiquira is generally from four to six feet in length. 

 It has given rise to a crowd of absurd fables. Thus Pison 

 pretends that the point of its tail, introduced into the rectum, 

 produces death more quickly than the poison of the fangs. 



We shall copy here Dr. Shaw''s abstract from Tyson's ac- 

 count of the anatomical peculiarities of the rattle-snake, such 

 particulars excepted as we have already given in our general 

 account. 



" The wind-pipe, as in the viper, as soon as it enters the 

 lungs consists of semi-annular cartilages, which, being joined 

 at both ends to the membrane of the lungs, contitute a free 

 or open channel, thus immediately transmitting the air to 

 the vesicles of those organs which are of very great length, 

 beginning near the throat, and running down three feet in 

 length. The upper part of them for the distance of about a 

 foot from their origin, is composed of small vesiculae or 

 cells, as in the lungs of a frog ; and which, from the frequent 

 branchings of the blood-vessels, appear of a florid red ; this 

 part tapers proportionally to the body : the lowest part of it 



