25 



CROTALOPHORUS .—Gray. 



Genus Crotalophorus. — Characters. Head large, triangular, rounded in 

 front, covered with plates above; a deep pit between the eye and nostril; rattles 

 few in number, and not well developed; plates on the abdomen; plates mostly 

 single, few, bifid under the tail. 



Remarks, This genus was first established by Mr. Gray, and makes a very 

 natural transition from Crotalus to Trigonocephalus, having the rattles of one at 

 the tail, and the plates on the head of the other genus. Fitzinger calls it Caudi- 

 sona, a name more applicable to Crotalus, as it makes but a feeble noise at best 

 with its rattle, and often none at all. 



CROTALOPHORUS MILIARIUS.— Lm««Ms. 



Plate IV. 



Characters. Head large, triangular, rounded in front; covered anteriorly and 

 on the vertex with plates, posteriorly with scales; a pit between the eye and 

 nostril; upper jaw with poisonous fangs; body above dark grey, with a vertebral 

 brownish-red fine, interrupted by a row of sub-quadrate black spots, margined 

 with yellow, and a double series of black spots on each side, the upper larger, but 

 less distinct. Caud. PI. 30. 



Synonymes. Small Rattlesnake, Catesby, Carol., vol. ii. p. 42. pi. xlii. 

 Crotalus miliarias, Linnseus, Syst. Nat., vol. i. p. 372. 

 Le millet, LadpMe, Hist. Nat. des. Serp., torn. ii. p. 421. 

 Vol. hi. 



