352 



ORDEES OF EEPTILES— SERPENTS 



and Deaf " Adder." It is decidedly poisonous, 

 and its venom is second in virulence onh' to that 

 of the rattlesnake. 



MASSASAUGA. 



In captivity, the food of this species consists of 

 small mammals, young birds and frogs. It brings 

 forth its 5'oung aUve, and the usual number is 

 between seven and nine. 



The Water-Moccasin, or Cotton-Mouth,' 

 is the ugliest snake in Jsorth America. Its body 

 is about as lithe and graceful as a Bologna sau- 

 sage, and its skin resembles the surface of sun- 

 cracked mud. It is so ugly that stuffing it with 

 tow does not make it look any worse. It has a 

 piggish appetite for fish, but if no fish or frogs 

 are handy, it eats other snakes. It is ciuite as 

 ready to bite a friend as an enemy, and when 

 Mr. Percy Selous was bitten by his ''pet" Moc- 

 casin, he died in fifty hours, despite medical 

 treatment. 



The Moccasin is a southern snake, and it is 

 a pity the species is not confined to Tierra del 

 Fuego. It lives along the grassy margins of bay- 



COPPERHBAD. 



portion of its body out of the water. It is also 

 much in the habit of lying upon logs, on bushes 

 overhanging water, or in the vicinity of dried-up 

 pools. When disturbed, it starts up, opens its 

 mouth very wide, holds it open, moves its tail in 

 slow vibrations, and stares wickedly at the in- 

 truder. It is the whiteness of the interior of 

 the mouth that has gi^'en rise to the name of 

 "Cotton-Mouth Moccasin." 



This serpent does not coil itself in a round, 

 tight coil, like a rattlesnake. As a rule, it holds 

 its ground tenaciouslj', and does not retreat 

 unless deep water is near. The fangs are shorter 

 in proportion than in the rattlesnake, and the 

 action of the poison is not so cjuick and \'iolent 

 as that of the rattler. But the bite must be 

 taken seriouslj', and treated with the utmost 

 vigor, if a fatal result is to be avoided. 



This serpent attains an extreme length of about 

 5 feet, and a diameter of 3 inches. Usuall}^, 



J^^ 



ous and swamps, and is most frequently found 

 lying at the shore line, with its head and a small 



' An-cis' tro-don pis-ci-vo'ras. 



WATER-MOCCASIN. 



however, specimens are about 3^ feet by 2 inches. 

 When adult, it is a snake absolutely devoid of 

 bright colors, its scales being the color of dried 

 mud, and very rough. The head is flat, the body 

 thick and puffed out, and the tail is very blunt. 



The j'oung of the Moccasins are born alive, 

 each one being enclosed in a thin, transparent 

 sac, which bursts immediately upon reaching the 

 outer air. The young are usually from 7 to 8 in 

 nmnber, but the last family born in the Reptile 

 House contained 14. The young are strongly 

 marked by light and dark bands, on account of 

 which they are easily mistaken for j'oung cop- 

 perheads. They also resemble j'oung hog-nosed 

 snakes. 



About the only redeeming feature in this 

 serpent is the fact that in captivity it is very 

 hardy. In four years, not one has died in our 



