Rattlesnakes.- 
-REPTILES. The Boiquira. 
45 
killed the Rattlesnake, as they believed that if they 
did, the spirit of the killed snake would cause his 
living kindred or relations to revenge his death upon 
them. Bartram relates some amusing instances of this 
superstition among these people iu his “ Travels in the 
United States.” 
THE COMMON OE BANDED RATTLESNAKE ( Urop- 
sophus durissus) has the widest range of all the species 
of this family, being found, according to Mr. Holbrook’s 
account, in nearly all parts of the United States. 
Kalm, the Swedish naturalist and traveller, saw it in 
north lat. 45°, near liuke Champlain, and Mr. Hol- 
brook says he has seen specimens from the borders of 
the Gulf of Mexico and as far west as Red river, 
while Say met with it in north lat. 40°, on the Missis- 
sippi. It is the species figured in Plate 4, fig. 3. 
The head is very large and triangular, broad, and 
truncate anteriorly, covered with plates only in front, 
and with minute scales on the crown and back part; 
the nostrils are large, and very near the snout, but 
open laterally ; the eyes are large, and extremely 
brilliant when the animal is enraged ; the mouth is 
large, and the jaws strong; the neck is very much 
contracted, and covered with carinated scales larger 
than those on the head ; the body is elongated, but 
thick, and covered with rough, carinated, rhomboidal 
scales above, and broad plates below ; the tail is 
short, slightly conical, and sustains a greater or less 
number of rattles ; the neck and body are of a pale 
ash colour, with a line of yellow along the back, 
including three scales; the body is marked with a 
triple series of dark irregular blotches and bars along 
the back; the belly is of a diity reddish-straw colour, 
freckled with minute black dots. 
The Banded Rattlesnake was first made known to 
naturalists- by Catesby. In his description of poisonous 
snakes in the Carolinas, he says — “ Of these Vipers 
the Rattlesnake is most formidable, being the largest 
and most terrible of all the rest. The largest I ever 
saw was one about eight feet in length, weighing 
between eight and nine pounds. These are commonly 
believed to be the most deadly venomous serpent ol 
any in these parts of America. I believe they are so, 
as being generally the largest, and making a deeper 
wound, and injecting a greater quantity of poison.” 
THE BOIQUIRA, or Cascavella, by which names 
the other species of Rattlesnake is known (Crotalus 
horridus ) — represented in Plate 8, fig. 3 and 3a (skele- 
ton and skull), and fig. annexed — is a native of Brazil, 
Peru, and many other parts of South America; rang- 
ing indeed, according to Spix, as far as the Straits of 
Magellan. It was first made known by Marcgrave, 
Head of Boiquira or Cascavella 
who described it soon after the discovery of America, 
and names it the Boicinininga. Its habits are much 
the same as the species described above. It is larger, 
however, and, Spix says, may easily be distinguished by 
its very strong musky smell. Being larger and more 
powerful than the Banded Rattlesnake, it is no wonder 
that in the early periods after the conquest of America, 
the Cascavella should have created great dread and 
fear amongst the Europeans. In Brazil, Spix says, the 
bite of this reptile is generally fatal within thirty-six 
hours. 
Family II. — VIPERIDH3 ( Vipers). 
The second family of the Viperine snakes consists 
of the true Vipers ( and form a very natu - 
ral group. They are distinguished from the Rattle- 
snakes (Crotalidce) by their face being destitute of the 
pit or depression which, in these latter, is observable 
on each side between the eye aud the nostril. The 
rostrum or muzzle is covered with large scales, or 
shields, which are broad and band-like. The scales of 
the body are (with one exception — the genus Acan- 
thophis) always keeled, and those of the head are, in 
many species, elongated into a point, so as to form 
a kind of horn, which, placed as they generally 
are above the eye, give a very peculiar physiognomy 
to these reptiles. In form they are generally more 
thick-set and heavy-looking than the Rattlesnakes, and 
their tail is always short and conical. They rarely 
grow to any considerable size, varying from two or 
three to four feet. Their food consists of mice, frogs, 
lizards, and birds, &c. They prefer as their place of 
abode, open places, dry, arid, sandy, or covered with 
a sparse vegetation, and are exclusively natives of 
the Old World. With the exception of one .species 
• From the Latin word vivipara, viviparous. 
