101 
Rattle-Snake and Parrot-Snake. 
Buslimaster. The son was found unconscious by the father who sucked 
out the Avound. Within a quarter of an hour the latter experienced indes- 
cribable pain, his head swelled to a shapeless size, and he showed all the 
symptoms of poisoning which, as it happened, had found entrance through 
a hollow tooth, into which the sucked-out poison must have been intro- 
duced. The boy died and the father was still dragging along his sickly 
existence during my last visit there. 
l'5G. Dread of the tAvo snakes above mentioned exceeds l>y fai- that 
of the Maracca, as several tribes call the Rattle-snake (Crotahis liorridvs 
Daud.) on account of its rattle, because its bite proves fatal in only a few 
cases. I liad often got within 0 or 7 feet of the latter and <piietly observed 
it: true, it kept its eyes on me all the time, but did not show the slightest 
inclination to make the dangeii-threatening spring, — yet the slightest 
incitement, a sudden approach, immediately sets the animal in a rage. 
NA'inding itself into a spiral, raising its head and neck into the air Avith 
widely-open jaAvs, and giving a \ery characteristic hiss, it looks angrily 
around, only rarely misses its mark and pierces even the thickest clothing, 
the strongest boots, AA'ith its poison fangs. The accomjianying shaking of 
the tail i)roduces a noise to be sure, but not loud enough to be heard far. 
This peculiar moA'ement, however, is not, as one has hitherto believed, 
entirely confined to rattlesnakes, where it is recognised as a Avarning 
before biting, for I haA^e obserA^ed the same thing many times among non- 
poisonous snakes, especially in the l>eaulifully marked Cohihcr rariahUh 
Kuhl. on getting near it. The triple Avarning of the rattlesnake may be 
classed in the same category of fable as the poAvers of fascination that have 
been ascribed to it. When the poison teeth are broken by biting on a hard 
object, they are soon replaced by new ones. 
257. In the same way, the Parrot-snake (Cophias hili)ieatiift, Pr. 
XeuAvied), so named from its bluish bright-green colour, is reckoned one of 
the most poisonous snakes, and is generally feared. Its Inrge poison-fangs 
explain this superstition. I have still to nienti(»n another snake of which 
everybody is equally afraid, that never came undei- my direct notice, it is 
true, though one hears plenty said about it and which my l)rother killed 
on his previous journey. It is the Iguana snake and is named after the 
pouch which like the iguana it carries under the throat. Its gi-ound-colour 
is said to be yellow and broken by diamond-shaped Idack spots. It reaches 
a length of from 5 to 7 feet. One must also note the shaking of its tail 
previous to the spring. The Indians regard it as one of those snakes that 
are most to be dreaded. 
258. The effects of snake-bile had made nie fairly timid at first. 
Dnring the course of my l)otanical excui sions AA'henever I heard somethinii; 
I'ustling in the grass or felt myself held up by a vine-rope. I tliought I 
saw a snake ready to spring, though in the course of time I managed to 
gain confidence. On my first expedition to the Orinoco it was particularly 
the lizards that made me take many a jump until T learnt to distinguish 
the 7ioise they caused from that ])roduced by snakes. The former run mucli 
quicker and always only for a short stretch, AA'hen they will stop for a 
second, and then continue on their way, AAdiile tlie snake sets out more 
slowly, more regularly, and not ]>y fits and staits: it is only the fatal 
