CREATURES OF MYSTERY 
179 
like attributes. Thus, in a papyrus it encircles the figure of 
Herpocrates, who was identified with the serpent god Aescula¬ 
pius ; while not only was a great serpent kept alive in the temple 
of Serapis, but on later monuments this deity is represented 
by a great serpent, with or without human head. (Serpents 
were sacred to Aesculapius, probably, because they have the 
faculty of renewing their youth by a change of skin.) Such 
change, due to the fact that the old garment is rough, dirty, 
and discolored, because of the effect of bleaching by the sun, 
gives the reptile the appearance of a wholly new creature. Such 
probably accounts for the fact that among some people he is 
associated with or is used as a symbol of immortality. If one 
could but forget momentarily their antipathy to the reptile 
and would view a diamond-back that has just donned his 
Easter ensemble for the first time, he would probably look 
upon one of nature’s most beautiful creatures. Each scale is 
new, free of dirt and discoloration—fresh in appearance as 
the leaf of the “Wandering Jew.” The refracting and reflect¬ 
ing qualities of the new scales compares favorably with that of 
a priceless pearl. The rattler even seems conscious of the 
power of such rich ornamentation. When he contrives to fas¬ 
cinate some passing bird he sings his rattles in the grass for 
the purpose of confusing the harmless little creature, then 
raises his head, spreading his skin to slightly resemble the 
cobra, and as he does so sways back and forth, so maneuvering 
as to exert his magic to the maximum upon the feathered 
creature which he has marked for his own. If one can imagine 
a thousand miniature prisms, fashioned by artists of blue-white 
diamonds* dangling in the early morning sun, then they might 
visualize rather accurately the true appearance of the diamond- 
back caught in the act of fascinating his prey. The only person 
the writer ever encountered who witnessed just such an inci¬ 
dent described it as' being an act so fascinating in its nature 
and appearance that anyone who would look upon such spec¬ 
tacle for long might become so fascinated by the beauty of it 
as to completely forget its deadliness, and be tempted to seize 
upon it to'Capture and treasure it as an “untouchable” of 
ancient India would an abandoned, jewel-studded tiara of an 
Eastern Maharajah. 
