338 REPTILES OF THE WORLD 



Jalisco, Mexico, shows the following measurements: — 



Total length 3 feet, 1 inch. 



Length of tail 6% inches. 



Diameter of body 13^ inches. 



Width of head 13/^ inches. 



Length of head V/g inches. 



The habits are semi-aquatic. 



]Most beautiful in coloration of the North American 

 pit vipers without rattles is the Copperhead Snake, A. 

 contortrix. The range is east of the Mississippi River, 

 from southern JNIassachusetts to northern Florida, 

 though in the extreme southern part of its distribution 

 this snake crosses the valley of the great river and occurs 

 commonlj^ in Texas to the Rio Grande. The ground 

 color is pale brown crossed by rich reddish-brown 

 blotches. The uniform, coppery tinge of the head has 

 prompted the popular name. The Eastern phase has 

 the bands very narrow on the back and wide on the sides, 

 resembling in outline, when looked at from above, an 

 hourglass or a dumb-bell. Texas specimens have wider 

 and fewer bands. A big Copperhead Snake is a yard 

 long. 



This highly-venomous serpent is partial to various 

 conditions. In the North it lives in or in the immediate 

 neighborhood of thick forests, where, when coiled, the 

 peculiar pattern might be mistaken for a small heap of 

 brightly-colored, fallen leaves. In the South it shuns 

 the swamps proper, frequenting the plantations. It is 

 not a particularly vicious snake, preferring to glide for 

 ambush rather than fight. In areas where the species 

 is particularly common, accidents are practically unheard 

 of. The food consists of frogs, small birds and rodents. 

 About a dozen young are produced at a birth; they 

 have a sulphur-yellow tail. 



