BANDED RATTLE-SNAKE. 



325 



instantly five small ones, which were lying by it, 

 rushed into its mouth. The author retired and 

 watched the snake, and in a quarter of an hour 

 saw her again discharge them. He then ap- 

 proached it a second time, when the young re- 

 tired into its mouth with greater celerity than 

 before, and the snake immediately moved off 

 among the grass and escaped. This happened at 

 a place called Pine-Log^ where M. de Beauvois 

 staid some time with the Indians during an illness 

 with which he was seized. M. de Beauvois adds, 

 that in winter the Rattle-Snake retires into deep 

 mossy loose soils beneath trees, &c. as well as in 

 holes under ground. 



From experiments made in Carolina by Captain 

 Hall, and related in the Philosophical Transactions^ 

 it appears that a Rattle-Snake of about four feet 

 long, being fastened to a stake fixed in the 

 ground, bit three dogs, the first of which died 

 in less than a quarter of a minute : the second, 

 which was bitten a short time afterwards, in about 

 two hours, in convulsions ; and the third, which 

 was bitten about half an hour afterwards, shewed 

 the visible effects of the poison in about three 

 hours, and died likewise. Four days after this, 

 another dog was bitten, which died in half a 

 minute, and then another, which died in four 

 minutes. A cat which was bitten was found dead 

 the next day. Eight days after this a frog was 

 bitten, which died in two minutes, and a chicken 

 <>f three months old in three minutes. The expe- 

 riments having been discontinued some time for 



