Staten Island Association of Arts and Sciences 



On September 19 Mr. Charles P. Benedict deposited with 

 the Museum a living specimen of the banded or timber rattlesnake 

 (Crotalus horridus Linn.), measuring over three feet in length, 

 which had been sent him from Twin Lakes, Pike County, Pa. 

 Ordinarily it might not be wise to place on public exhibition, except 

 in a glass case, a creature whose bite is admittedly so poisonous ; 

 but Mr. Benedict has kindly taken the precaution of extracting the 

 fangs (five in number) from the present subject. 



Ditmars has many interesting things to tell of the structure 

 and habits of the rattlesnake. He explains how erroneous it is to 

 assume that each segment of the rattle indicates a year's develop- 

 ment in the snake. As a matter of fact, a "rattle" is formed each 

 time the snake sheds or casts his skin— and this normally happens 

 three times during each year. At birth (and rattlesnakes are born 

 alive) the young rattler has at the tip of his tail a single "button," 

 and when the skin is shed at the end of about two months the first 

 ring of the rattle proper appears. The button and the first ring, 

 therefore, may be taken to represent approximately the first year 

 of the snake's growth; and the button or the slender point to 

 which it is attached must be present in order that the age of the 

 reptile may be subsequently computed with anything approaching 

 accurancy. When the snake reaches maturity not only do new 

 segments cease to appear but those at the extremity of the rattle 

 are lost. 



The snake in the Museum is a beautifully colored specimen 

 of the so-called black phase — which usually indicates the male 

 sex — possessing nine rattles, including the first ring, without the 

 button. This may probably be taken to indicate that the serpent 

 will be four years of age in the spring of 1917. H. H. c. 



Since the last issue of the Bulletin gifts to the Museum 

 collections and libary have been received from "Anonymous," 

 Carol and Laura Bliss, Thomas S. Cary, William T. Davis, 

 Edward C. Delavan, Jr., Alexander Forsyth, Gustav Grabe, J. 

 Blake Hillyer, Arthur Hollick, Edward Kiedrowski, Montague 

 Lessler, William A. Murrill, Carlton Rumboldt, Mrs. Samuel 

 Theobald, Jr. 



