32 CROTALOPHORUS KIRTLANDI. 



Dimensions. Length of head, 1 inch 2 lines; length of body to vent, 22 inches; 

 length of tail, 3 inches: total length, without the rattles, 27 inches. In the 

 specimen here described there were 152 abdominal plates, and 29 sub-caudal, the 

 first two last bifid, and six rattles. 



Habits. This Rattlesnake prefers damp and shady places for its dweUing, 

 and is not unfrequently found in cranberry (Oxycoccus macrocarpus) marshes. 



Geographical Distribution. This reptile has as yet been noticed only in the 

 States of Ohio and Michigan. 



General Remarks. To Dr. Kirtland of Ohio, a distinguished naturalist, well 

 known by his writings on Conchology and Ichthyology, am I indebted for a 

 knowledge of this new and beautiful reptile, and to him have I dedicated the 

 species. In his Zoological Report of Ohio, he observes that this animal is 

 commonly known under the name Massasaugua, a word of Indian origin. He 

 furthermore informs me by letter, that he observed it many years since: thus he 

 says, "In the year 1810, I spent a summer in Trumbull county, (Ohio,) and while 

 there, engaged in boyish pursuits around a cranberry marsh in Boardman, I 

 frequently met with them. A recollection of their appearance at that day 

 contrasted with your plate of the Crotalus miliarius, induced me to examine a 

 specimen three years since, which ultimately led me to conclude that it was a 

 distinct species. Its bite, I believe, is never fatal, and, so far as I have had 

 experience, is not much more venomous than the sting of a common hornet, 

 (Vespa maculata.) In one instance, however, its bite was followed by a long 

 train of nervous and hysterical aflections in a female." 



