NATURAL HISTORY

OF

SERPENTS.

THE RATTLE SNAKE.

THIS animal, the most dreaded of all serpents, grows to the length of five or six feet. Its colour is yellowish-brown, above, marked with broad transverse bars of black. Both the jaws are furnished with small, sharp teeth, and the upper one has four large and pointed fangs. At the base of each there is a round orifice, opening into a hollow, which runs through the whole length in the form of a small channel : these teeth may be raised or compressed. When the animals are in the act of biting, they force out of a bag, on which the roots of the teeth rest, the fatal juice: this is received into the round orifice of the teeth, and conveyed through the tube or channel, into the wound. Their tail is composed of hollow, bony cells, jointed,

and lying one within another, like a set of cups; they annually increase in number, till they amount to about forty. It is found both in North and South America Providence has given to mankind a security against its bite; for it generally warns the passenger of its approach by the rattling of its tail. In fine wea ther, the notice is always given, but not always in rainy weather: this inspires the Indians with a dread of travelling among the woods in wet seasons. In addition to this circumstance, the odour of the Rattle-snake is so extremely fetid, that when it basks in the sun, or is irritated, it is often discovered by the scent, before it is either seen or heard. Horses and cattle fre quently discover it by the scent, and escape at a distance; but when the serpent happens to be to leeward of their course, they sometimes run into great danger.

The Rattle snake usually moves with its head on the ground; but, if alarmed, throws its body into a circle, coiling itself with its head in the centre erect, and with its eyes flaming in a most terrific manner. Happily, it may be easily avoided, it is slow in pursuit, and has not the power of springing at its assailants.

Its tongue is frequently darted out and drawn back with great agility. Besides the fangs with which the Rattle-snakes kill their prey, there is another kind of teeth much smaller, and situated in both jaws, which serve for catching and

retaining it. There are no grinders; for they do not chew their food, but always swallow it whole.

It is not very uncommon for this creature to come into houses; but the moment any of the domestic animals see or hear it, they take alarm, and unite in giving notice of its presence. Mr. Catesby says, that in a gentleman's house in Carolina, as the servant was making the bed, on the ground floor, that he had himself left but a few minutes before, he discovered a Rattlesnake lying coiled between the sheets in the middle of the bed. Some time after this, one of these reptiles was sliding into the same gentleman's house, where he would, probably, have concealed himself, if the family had not been alarmed by the repeated outcries of the hogs, dogs, and poultry, who, says Catesby, seemed all united in their hatred against him, showing their terror by erecting their bristles and feathers; they carefully, however, kept their distance, while he regardless of their threats, moved slowly along,

When the Rattle-snake has been irritated, or the weather is exceedingly hot, its poison, on being inserted in a wound, often proves fatal in a very short time.

We are told, by an intelligent American writer, that a farmer was one day mowing with his negroes, when he by chance trod on a Rattlesnake, that immediately turned upon him, and

bit his boot. At night, when he went to bed, he was attacked with sickness: he swelled, and before a physician could be called in, he died. All his neighbours were surprised at this sudden death, but the body was interred without examination. A few days afterwards, one of the sons put on his father's boots, and at night when he pulled them off, he was seized with the same symptoms, and died on the following morning. The medical man arrived, but unable to divine the cause of so singular a disorder, being a very ignorant man, and unwilling to confess his own want of skill, he seriously pronounced both the father and son to have been bewitched. At the sale of the effects, a neighbour purchased the boots, and on putting them on, experienced the like dreadful symptoms with the father and son. A skilful physician, however, being sent for, who had heard of the preceding affair, suspected the cause, and by applying proper remedies, recovered his patient. The fatal boots were now carefully examined, and the two fangs of the Snake were discovered to have been left in the leather, with the poison-bladders adhering to them. They had penetrated entirely through, and both the father and the son had imperceptibly scratched themselves with their points in. pulling off the boots.

Dr. Brickell says, he was witness to an encounter between a dog, and a Rattle-snake which was fastened to the ground by a tolerable

long string. The snake coiled up, and rattled its tail; and the dog being let loose, seized, and attempted to shake it out at full length, but from the weight was prevented from doing this, and in consequence it bit him in the ear. He seemed somewhat stunned, and left the place, but returned on being encouraged by the company. In the second encounter, he received a bite in his lip, after which the Snake bit himself. The dog from that moment appeared senseless of every thing around him; even the caresses of his brutal master had now no effect, and in less than half an hour, both the animals were found dead. The following instance, however, will shew that their poison, though very terrible. in its effects, is not always certain death. A gentleman in Virginia, accidentally trod upon a Rattle-Snake, which so enraged the animal, that it bit him in the hand. The gentleman, though aware of his danger, and the necessity of immediate assistance, stopped to kill the snake, which he carried home, and throwing it upon the ground, toid his family that he was killed, and the snake was his murderer. In such an extremity, no time was to be lost, and olive oil, the remedy nearest at hand, was immediately applied. His arm, which was beginning to swell, was tied up near the shoulder, and the wound well rubbed with the oil. A stop was thus put to the progress of the infection, and his constitution so far got the better of the poison, that