AMPHIBIANS 413 
The Garter Snake is a harmless little creature, and there is absolutely 
no reason for the persecution it suffers, except the evil reputation of its 
relatives. The young of this species are born alive, and as many as 45 
are brought forth in one brood. It is no wonder that it is the most 
numerous and most widely distributed of all snakes. This is one of our 
smallest species; a Garter Snake 36 inches long is a very large specimen, 
the more usual length being 24 to 30 inches; and of course many that we 
meet are much smaller, being but par- 
tially grown. 
Rattlesnakes are the most widely dis- 
tributed class of poisonous serpents in 
America and are found in restricted re- 
gions in almost all sections of the United 
States. In the Dakotas they are met 
with in the Bad Lands and in the 
broken country along the Missouri River. 
There are fifteen different species, of 
which fourteen live in different parts 
of North America and one in South 
America. That found in the Dakotas 
and Montana is called the Prairie Rat- Garter SNAKE 
tlesnake. All the species are very 
similar. Their most important characteristic is that they are very 
poisonous, and their bite often proves fatal. But fortunately they do 
not pursue their victim or lie in ambush for him to take him by surprise. 
They strike only in self-defense when expecting to be harmed, and then 
they always give fair warning by a vigorous shaking of their rattles. 
This warning saves the majority of people and animals that might other- 
wise be bitten. 
The rattles consist of horny buttons or beads joined together and 
forming the end of the tail. The young of the Rattlesnake are born 
alive as in case of the Garter Snake, the usual number being from nine 
to fourteen. 
AMPHIBIANS 
The class of animals known as amphibians comprises the frogs, toads, 
salamanders, and other less familiar creatures that live in water during 
the first stage of their existence and then change to land-going animals. 
