laa'iii.i'.s AM) \ \H'iiii:i.\\s p. 



litV; tor exam i)l('. in the star toiMoisc 1 lie ori^^inal "si id Is" of the s|)rci men- 

 arc used, while the head, neck and l(\i:;s arc restored in wax. 'I'lie inoiint- 

 inii not only l)riu<;s out the j)rin('i|)al features of tlie sjx'cies exhihited, hut 

 in many iustauces illustrates also some distinctive hahit of the animals; 

 for iustiiiice, the conunon newt, one of the salamandei's. is I'epresented by 

 a series of five life-size easts showing' the process of sheddinj;- the skin; 

 Pickeriii<2;'s hyla or the "spring pcc])er" is slnmii with vocal sacs inflated; 

 the i)ois()n()Us bushniaster is re])resent(Hl with its eggs, and so on. 



Tlie classification of these animals is shown in the upright cases: 

 the groups in the center of the hall represent various reptiles as they 

 appear in their natural haunts. They include the tuberculated iguana, 

 the \\ater moccasin, the diamond-l)acked rattlesnake, the Texas rattle- 

 snake, the copperhead, the Gila monster, the pine snake. th(» box tortoise 

 and the common painted turtle. 



One of the most interesting of the groups is a jungle scene in India 

 showing a water monitor, which is the largest of living lizards, the 



poisonous Russell's viper and the deadly .spectacled col^ra, 



the last with hood distended and poised ready to strike. 

 The cobra is said to be the cause of a large proportion of the 20,000 

 deaths which annually occur in Tndia from snakebite. Examine care- 

 fully the group of the copperhead snake or "red-eye," one of the two 



species of poisonous snakes to be found in the vicinity 

 opper ea ^^ -^^^^^ York, and also the group contrasting the harmless 

 Snake Group , • , , . • p , 



watersnake with the poisonous water moccasm oi southern 



cji^ress sw^amps. Two groups are devoted to rattlesnakes, which are 

 easily recognized })y the string of rattles at the end of the tail, by means 

 of Avhich they give warning before they strike. There are comparatively 

 few species of poisonous snakes in the United States — about sixteen in 

 all — comprising rattlesnakes, the moccasin, copperhead and two kinds 

 of coral snake. All other species are harmless and in spite of 

 the almost universal prejudice against them are very useful allies 

 of man, since they live chiefly on rats, mice and insects injurious 

 to crops. 



Entering the darkened room nearb}^ we find a group of unusual in- 

 terest, showing the common bullfrog of North America. 

 Q This group is a study of the bullfrog undisturbed in its 



typical haunt. It illustrates the changes from the tadpole 

 to the adult frog and shows many of the activities of the frog — its molt- 

 ing, swimming, breathing under water and in air, croaking, and ''lying 

 low" before an enemy; also its food habits in relation to small mannnaN. 

 to birds, snakes, insects, snails, to small fish and turtles. 



Another group is the Great Salamander or Hellbender, best known in 



