The Poisonous Snakes of Texas. 
27 
HABITS. 
The Copperhead, sometimes known as the “Dry Land Moccasin/ 7 lives 
in the timber that boarders onr rivers and creeks ; always selecting land 
that seldom or never overflows. They hide under logs, in decayed 
stumps, in holes dug by small animals. They are rather lazy and slug- 
gish, and cannot run fast, but will bear forced moving with very good 
grace unless roughly touched ; this arouses their ire, and they strike back. 
They do not have to be coiled to strike; but can crawl and strike at the 
same time, having the body at rectangular curves. When thoroughly 
aroused they are very vicious and strike at anything presented. Their 
food consists of small rodents, lizards, frogs, etc. 
They gestate their young, and they are born ready for the duties of 
life. The most I ever found in a female was eleven, seven in one horn 
of the uterus and four in the other horn. I have found as small a num- 
ber as three, all in one horn of the uterus. 
SISTRUROS CATEhTATIJS CONSORS, B. and G. 
(Gulf Coast Massasauga.) 
DESCRIPTION. 
“Twenty-five rows of dorsal scales, all carinated except the two first 
rows on each side. Seven series of blotches, one dorsal and three on each 
side, all very small. A yellowish white line passing from behind the 
nostril below and behind the eye. Resembles C. miliarius in its general 
appearance, but without the vertebral brownish red line. The ground 
color is olivaceus brown, the blotches of a deeper brown, and circled with 
a black fillet margined with a whitish yellow line. There are about fifty 
blotches in the dorsal series, emarginated anteriorly only, thirty of which 
are transversely elongated, very irregular; the twenty remaining ones 
nearly circular, with regular outlines. The blotches of the iateral rows 
are comparatively small and of nearly equal size, though sometimes one 
of either row may appear much the largest. The blotches of the first 
lateral series are opposite to those of the dorsal and affect the first, 
second, and third rows of scales, and the extremities of the abdominal 
scutellae (ventrals or gastrosteges) . The blotches of the second series 
alternate with these, extending on the third, fourth and fifth rows of 
scales. The blotches of the third series are obsolete, and alternate with 
those of the second series, and are generally opposite to those of the 
dorsal series situated in the fifth, sixth and seventh rows. The upper 
surface of the head is brown; there are two vittse extending from the 
vertex along the neck to the first dorsal blotch. A broader and deep 
