324 BANDED RATTLE-SNAKE. 



tirpated in the more populous parts. None are 

 found farther north than the mountains near lake 

 Champlain ; but infest South America, even as far 

 as Brasil They love woods and lofty hills, espe- 

 cially where the strata are rocky or chalky : the 

 pass near Niagara abounds with them. Being 

 slow of motion, they frequent the sides of rills, to 

 make prey of frogs, or such animals as resort 

 there to quench their thirst: are generally found 

 during summer in pairs ; in winter collecting in 

 multitudes, and retiring underground, beyond the 

 reach of frost : tempted by the warmth of a spring 

 day, they are often observed to creep out weak 

 and languid : a person has seen a piece of ground 

 covered Avith them, and killed with a rod between 

 sixty and seventy; till overpowered with the 

 stench, he was obliged to retire ^. 



The Rattle-Snake is a viviparous animal ; pro- 

 ducing its young in the month of June, generally 

 about twelve in number ; and which by Septem- 

 ber acquire the length of twelve inches. It is 

 said to practise the same extraordinary mode of 

 preserving its young from danger which is attri- 

 buted to the Viper in Europe, viz. of receiving 

 them into its mouth and swallowing them. Of 

 this we have the attestation of M, de Beauvois f, 

 who declares himself an eye-wdtness of the process. 

 This gentleman saw a large Rattle- Snake, which 

 he happened to disturb in his walks, and which 

 immediately coiled itself up, opened its jaws, and 



* Arct, Zool, suppl. p. 88. f American Phil. Trans, vol. iv. 



