COLLECTION OF REPTILES. 397 



mark, the rattle snake, or boiquira, sent from 

 New York by M. Milbert ; it is five feet long. 

 This serpent is considered as more venomous 

 than any other ; it is called the rattle snake, be- 

 cause its tail is terminated by hollow scaly and 

 horny processes, loosely jointed together, and 

 which on being shaken, occasion a sound very 

 much like that produced by dry seeds in their 

 envelope. The yellow or spear-headed viper 

 (trigonocephalus) from Martinico, a very dan- 

 gerous serpent, given by M. Servile ; this specimen 

 is 8 feet 9 inches long. The lachesis of Cayenne 

 (crotalus mutus), brought by M. Poiteau, the tail 

 of which is terminated by a horny, very hard, and 

 sharp point. 



Let us now go round the room from left to 

 right, in order to point out the principal objects 

 contained in the cases. We shall follow the 

 scientific arrangement, which is also that ob- 

 served in the distribution of the genera in the 

 cabinet. We shall state the number of species 

 in our possession belonging to each genus, and 

 dwell upon those only which appear to deserve 

 peculiar attention. 



The tortoises are divided into land tortoises, 

 or emjds ; box tortoises; and trionyx, or soft 

 tortoises. 



In the Museum are sixteen species of the land 



