214 MARVELS OF THE ANIMAL WORLD 



and Biirma, is, next to the cobra, considered to be 

 the most dangerous snake found in those parts, and, 

 according to Sir J. Fayrer, if a chicken be bitten by 

 one of them it will expire in less than a minute. The 

 reptile grows to a length of four feet, and the 

 general brown colour of its skin is beautifully decor- 

 ated with a series of dark-coloured rings, from which 

 feature it also receives the name of chain-viper. 



Amongst the venomous snakes found in America, 

 the dreaded rattlesnakes are characterised by the 

 possession of a horny structure which grows upon 

 the end of their tails, and is composed of numerous 

 and loosely connected ring-like segments. When 

 one of the reptiles is irritated or distmrbed, it rapidly 

 vibrates that appendage and produces a peculiar 

 ratthng sound, concerning the utUity of which no 

 definite conclusion has been arrived at ; for although 

 some authorities consider it to act as a signal and 

 a warning to other creatures to keep out of its 

 way, yet others, on the contrary, have gone so far 

 as to express a belief that the noise is produced in 

 order to attract the attention of the snake's prey 

 and arouse their curiosity to such an extent as to 

 induce them to approach near enough to enable the 

 ' rattler ' to make a lunge and inflict a bite. It 

 must be stated, however, that the latter theory, 

 although having received a certain amount of cre- 

 dence in former days, is no longer regarded as a 

 satisfactory explanation by the majority of natur- 

 alists. At one time the poison of the rattlesnake 

 was considered to be a cure for leprosy, but we read 

 in Mure's Pathogenesie Bresillienne that an experi- 



