214 
LETTERS FROM ALABAMA, 
man to the place pointed out. He collected a good 
heap of dry bush and leaves around the hole, and 
then taking out the plug, set fire to the mass, in 
order to smoke out the tenant ; but we watched in 
vain : either our customer was sulky, and chose to 
die, like Sardanapalus, in his palace, or else he had 
previously made his exit by crawling up the inside 
of the trunk, and out at the top. That snakes 
have the power of crawling up perpendicular sur- 
faces, I had lately a very curious proof. I was 
‘ engaged one afternoon quietly reading, in a room 
which was only clap-boarded, without being ceiled 
within, when, turning my head, I saw just above 
me a snake mounting the wall, about eight feet 
from the ground. I was a little alarmed, and gave 
a start which frightened my visitor, and he fell and 
escaped : I regret that in my surprise I did not 
notice the species. The only assistance afforded 
him in the ascent, was from the projecting edges 
of the clap-boards, about half an inch wide, that 
overlapped each other. 
To return to the Rattlesnake. The hollow horny 
appendages to the tail, which are commonly called 
the rattles, are said to be cast annually wfith the 
sloughed skin ; and it is inferred that, ‘‘ conse- 
quently^ no inference as to the age of the animal, 
can be drawn from the number of pieces which 
compose the rattles.” I confess this appears to 
me to be a non sequitur^ for is it not quite possible 
that one may be added to the number annually, 
without involving the actual perpetuity of the pre- 
ceding ones ? I cannot decide the fact. A young 
one that I killed in the garden (probably Crotalus 
dur{ssus\ had but three rattles : now as these ap- 
pendages are often found much more numerous, it 
