THE START 11 



families, subfamilies, or genera would depend, I suppose, 

 largely upon the varying personal views of the individual 

 describer on the subject of herpetological nomenclature. 

 One genus includes the rattlesnakes, of which the big 

 Brazilian species is as dangerous as those of the southern 

 United States. But the large majority of the species and 

 individuals of dangerous snakes in tropical America are 

 included in the genus lachecis. These are active, vicious, 

 aggressive snakes without rattles. They are exceedingly 

 poisonous. Some of them grow to a very large size, being 

 indeed among the largest poisonous snakes in the world 

 — their only rivals in this respect being the diamond rat- 

 tlesnake of Florida, one of the African mambas, and the 

 Indian hamadryad, or snake-eating cobra. The fer-de- 

 lance, so dreaded in Martinique, and the equally danger- 

 ous bushmaster of Guiana are included in this genus. A 

 dozen species are known in Brazil, the biggest one being 

 identical with the Guiana bushmaster, and the most com- 

 mon one, the jararaca, being identical or practically iden- 

 tical with the fer-de-lance. The snakes of this genus, like 

 the rattlesnakes and the Old- World vipers and puff-adders, 

 possess long poison-fangs which strike through clothes or 

 any other human garment except stout leather. Moreover, 

 they are very aggressive, more so than any other snakes 

 in the world, except possibly some of the cobras. As, in 

 addition, they are numerous, they are a source of really 

 frightful danger to scantily clad men who work in the 

 fields and forests, or who for any reason are abroad at 

 night. 



The poison of venomous serpents is not in the least 

 uniform in its quality. On the contrary, the natural forces 



