GROT 
< 5 ifh brown colour. The' mouth is furnilhed with two 
rows of teeth, and with a double fet of poii’oning fangs. 
The eyes are large, red, and lucid ; whence it feerns to 
have derived its high character for fafcination. The 
colour on the back is ferruginous brown, decorated with 
irregular markings either of deep chocolate colour or 
black ; the qolour grows of a lighter cinereous yellow 
towards the lower extremities. The crepitaculum or 
rattle, which forms the tail of this dangerous reptile, 
and confti utes the generic character, affords a fmgular 
inffance of the goodnefs of divine Providence, in pro¬ 
viding this inffrument as a timely warning to man, and 
other unfufpebling animals, to get out of its way. It is 
laid that no remedy has yet been found to counteract 
the deleterious effedts of its poifon. The Indians know 
their deffiny the moment they are bitten, and calmly re- 
fign themfelves to impending death, which commonly 
follows in twenty minutes or half an hear, according as 
the bite happens to fall upon the larger veins, or in pro¬ 
portion to the ficrcenefs and vigour of the animal. See 
the article Poison, The rattle is of a chefnut colour, 
and is compofed of a feries of horny or bony membranous 
cells, of an undulated pyramidal figure, hollow and fono- 
rous, and of a very compact texture. Thefe are articu¬ 
lated within one another in fucli a manner, that the point 
of the firff cell reaches as far as the protuberant ring of 
the third articulation, and fo on throughout; by which 
means thefe fonorous bones being ftrung as it were very 
loole, give liberty to all thofe parts of the cells which 
are inclofed within the external rings, to llrike againft 
the Tides of each other in a quick and regular fuccellion, 
and thus to caufe the loud rattling noife the creature un¬ 
avoidably makes whenever it moves or (hakes its tail. 
The fize of the rattle, and the number of its articula¬ 
tions, are different in different fubjedls. Seba endea¬ 
vours to account for this variation by faying, that the 
f'erpent acquires an additional articulation or knot to its 
rattle every year ; (o that the number of joints or arti¬ 
culations in its tail demonflrates the age of the reptile. 
The (bales of this lerpent a re very hard and clofe fe r , 
though brittle like glafs ; and when irritated it poffefies 
the faculty of railing them on end, and of doling them 
again with a rufhing noife, fimilar to the clotho and la- 
tff.efis vipers, deferibed in vol. iv. p. 795. 
The rattle-fnake abounds more or lefs throughout the 
whole continent of America ; and is found in the iiland 
of Ceylon, and in fume parts of Afia. It is a (low inac¬ 
tive creature ; and, as if fenfible that its rattling noife 
would efface away its prey, will feldom move, unlefs 
diiven or difturbed. It ufually couches under large 
trees and thick bufhes, or fecretes itfelf among the tall 
grafs, where it lays in wait for fucli ill-fated animals as 
chance to prowl within its reach. Some writers aflert, 
that it places its head in fucli a (ituation, that whatever 
birds, fquirrels, &c. happen to be on the boughs or 
trees above, never fail to perceive it; and are fo (truck 
with the falcinuting power of its eyes, that they invo¬ 
luntarily drop down into its mouth. This fufeinating 
power is attributed to the rattle-fnake in a much more 
eminent degree than to any other of the lerpent tribes. 
See Fascination. It has never been feen to mount 
into trees, nor to ptirfue its prey, like the nimbler race 
of vipers ; but duties rather to lie motionlefs and dor¬ 
mant. Yet when attacked, it raifes its creft with digni¬ 
fied ferocity, darts on its enemy with irreliitible force, 
and bites with cruel and incurable venom. It has 167 
abdominal feuta, and 23 Cub-caudal feuta and lbutellae ; 
making in the whole 190. 
2. Crotalus miliaris, the millet-fpedded rattle-fnake. 
This is a native of Carolina, deferibed by Mr. Catefby 
as a very beautiful fpecies, and much fmaller than the 
. preceding. The ground colour is cinereous, with black 
(pecks, arranged in a triple longitudinal row, and bright 
red fpots between each. It has 131 abdominal feuta, 
and 32 fub-Caudal feuta and fcutellte ; making in all 163. 
Voh. V. No, 281. 
ALUS. S<JS 
3. Cro.talus dryinas, the oak-loving rattle-fnake. It 
is a native of America, deferibed as a whitilh (crpenr, 
with bright yellow fpots. It is alfo called dryinas caudi- 
Joita , or foreff rattle; being found moftly in the deep re- 
celfes of the woods, and under wide-f preading c.Jc tiees. 
It is furnilhed with 165 abdominal feuta, and 30 fill-, 
caudal feuta and fcutelhc, making 195 in the whole. 
Sometimes it has 194 feuta under the abdomen, and 
2S under the tail, making only 192. 
4. Crotalus duriffus ; deferibed as a rattle-fnake with 
two black bands or fillets on the head and neck. It is a 
native of America, meaTuring from one foot and a half 
to four feet and a half in length, and of proportionate 
thicknefs. The colour is variegated white and yellow, 
decorated with rhombeated black fpots margined with 
white. It fecretes itfelf under old roots, or in the 
trunks of hollow trees; by which means the weary un- 
fufpedting traveller is not unfrequently bitten by it. It 
is the next dangerous ferpent to the horridus. Abdo¬ 
minal feuta 172, fub-caudal feuta and (cuteHte, 2 1, mak¬ 
ing 193: or 170.30, making 200: or 174.222=1196 : or 
the abdominal feuta from 163 to-170, and tire lub-caudal 
from 20 to 29, making either 183 or 199. 
5. Crotalus mutus, the mute rattle-fnake ; a native of 
Surinam, where it grows to a great fize, frightful front 
the enormous fangs protunded from the cheeks. It has 
black fpots on the back, rhombicated, and clofcly 
joined ; a black line behind the eyes, with a quadruple 
row of tlie molt minute (harp pointed fcalcs on the tail. 
It is furnilhed with 217 abdominal feuta, and 34 fub- 
caudal feuta and fcutellte, total 251. 
The regard which has been paid to the rattle-fnake 
by certain North-American tribes Teems, at firft fight, to 
favour the opinion, that thefe tribes attributed to this 
hideous reptile fome hidden power, or occult property, 
befides that of fufeinating animals The fouthern In¬ 
dians certainly hold the rattle-fnake in the higheft de¬ 
gree of veneration. Mr. Heckevvelder, of the Ameri¬ 
can Philofophical Society, fays, that to his certain 
knowledge, this reptile was once held in particular ef- 
teem by the Delawares. He was feveral times prevented, 
by thefe Indians, from killing the rattle-fnake, being 
told that it was their grandfather, and therefore mud 
not be hurt. At other times, he was told, he muff not 
kill this (hake, becaufe tlie whole race of rattle-fnakes 
would grow angry, and give orders to bite every Indian 
that might come in their way. But, of late, among 
thole Indians who have had connection with the whites, 
thefe ridiculous notions have mouldered away, asd many 
of them now kill their rattling grandfather with as little 
ceremony as the Elkemaux are faid to kill their parents 
in old age. Poffibly, the veneration which was paid to 
different kinds of ferpents in America did not originate 
in this continent, but had its fource in Afia, from which 
portion of the globe we cannot doubt, that almoft all 
tlie nations of America are derived. It is unneceffary 
in tills place, to cite inffances of the religious venera¬ 
tion which was, and (till is, paid to fome fpecies of, fer¬ 
pents, in various parts of the old world. Thefe in¬ 
ffances muff be familiar to every perfon who is acquainted 
with the hiftorians or with the poets of antiquity, and 
with the hiltcry of the Gentoo-Iridians. 
Much has been faid on the fufeinating power of the 
rattle-fnake. M. de la Cepede thought that the dele¬ 
terious power of (hakes; and particularly of the rattle- 
fnake, was exerted in two different ways, neither of 
which can properly be conlidered as fafcination. Some¬ 
times he conceived tlie vitlim-animal might be difabled 
by the mephitic breath of the fnakc from effecting its 
efcape ; and at others it might fly into tlie mouth of its 
devourcr during the agonies produced by the bite. 
Againff the former explanation, Dr. Barton, profelfor of 
natural hiftory in the univerfity of Philadelphia, alleges 
tlie following arguments: “I know, indeed, that iti 
feme of the-larger (jpeeies of ferpents, inhabiting South 
3, II America-, 
