ORDER OPHIDIA. 349 



French traveller Lebeau, who visited the Acatapas, a tribe of 

 Louisiana, says that the poison of this rattle-snake is more 

 subtile than that of the other crotali, since the success of the 

 remedy is doubtful after three hours have elapsed from the 

 infliction of the wound ; while, according to him, a person 

 bitten by the boiquira may hope to be cured at the end of 

 six hours. The same author tells us, that ammonia is the 

 remedy which is employed in such cases with the greatest 

 success. 



Though a great number of the military rattle-snakes are 

 destroyed every year, the race continues to be perpetuated 

 with the most astonishing activity, and that even in countries 

 which for a long period have been well populated. 



The Tbigonocephalus has been separated by modern 

 erpetologists, from the vipers of Daudin and the coluber of 

 Linnaeus. We shall here confine ourselves to the notice of 

 the most remarkable species — Trig. Lanceolatus, the Me- 

 gcBra of Schneider and Shaw. 



This serpent commonly attains to the length of five or six 

 feet, and may sometimes exceed those dimensions. Colonel 

 Moreau de Jonnes, who has given a very interesting history 

 of this animal, tells us of one killed by an officer in 1808, 

 which measured seven feet six inches and six lines. Pere 

 Dutertre informs us that, in his time, individuals of this 

 species were frequently met with of from seven to eight feet 

 long, and as thick as a man's leg. Labat saw one that was 

 nine feet long. It has even been advanced that some v/ere 

 five-and-twenty feet in length, and twelve inches in diameter ; 

 but this seems only one of many instances of the propensity 

 to exaggeration which is inherent in the human mind. 



This serpent varies much in colour as well as size ; and 

 therefore, as Count Lacepede remarks, the denomination of 

 yellow serpent of the Antilles, is highly improper. 



The fecundity of this reptile is terrific. The scientific 



