672 



KEPTILES — CROTALIDJE. 



Cbotalus durissub Linnaus. 



Banded Rattlesnake. 



Vropsophua durissus, Gray. 



Urocrotalon durissus, Fitzinger. 



Uropsophus iriseiiatus, Wagler. 



Crotalua durissus, IIolbrook, Dumbril and Bibron, Baird and Girard, Stoker, DeKat 



Crotahis horridua, Cope. 



General color sulphnr-brown and darker brown, arranged in 

 bloSches or transverse bands; head very triangular, abruptly 

 separable from the nfck ; superoiliary plates small and numer- 

 ous; upper labials 12-14, lower 13-15; rostral large, triangular, 

 ronuded above, anteorbitaJs two, elongated longitudinally ; dor- 

 sals in 23 to 25 rows ; gaatroategas 170 to ISO ; nrostegea 23 to 28. 

 Length, 3^ feet ; head, IJ inches ; tail, 5 inches ; transverse diam- 

 eter of head, 1 inch ; transverse diameter of neck, f inch ; cir- 

 cumfsrenoe of body, 3i inches. 



Habitat, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, 

 West Virgiaia, South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Kansas, 

 and Aikansas. 



The Banded Rattlesnake inhabits rocky mountains 

 and hills, its venom is very virulent, but to its favor 

 may be said that it rarely or never strikes unless 

 stepped upon^or interfered with in a serious manner, 

 and then apparently acts only in self-defence. It 



'Fig. 1.— Crotalua du- 



, iiiiiii • • J Tissua, head covered 



also usually, though not always, gives warning and above with scales. 



thus enables a person to get out of its way. 



They are at times gregarious, being occasionally found collected together, 



especially in winter, but more usually they are alone. They are inactive, 



sluggish animals of slow locomotion, and in this respect contrast strangely 



with the rapidity of the vibrations of their tail, and the instantaneous 



quickness with which they strike an enemy. They have been known 



to live a year without food, but need water especially at the time of 



shedding their skin. The fangs are, in somes cases at least, shed at the 



same time as the integument, and reproduced in a few days. They are 



believed to be most virulent at this time, which may be true, and may be 



' The plates which accompany this catalogue have been drawn from the specimens by 

 Miss Lilly E Chase, of Ann Arbor, Michigan. 



It has not been my aim to insert a large namber of illustrations, as this has already 

 been done in the wiitings of Holbrook, DeKay, Agaasiz, and the various United States 

 Reports ; and yet it is believed that the few given on the months of Salamanders and 

 head of Crotalus and Crotalophoru<i will be very serviceable in the identification of 

 genera. 



