Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIV.djvu/231

 RATTLESNAKE 215 are securely strung together, each consisting of three annular portions, the basal ring of one grasping the second of the preceding, and this again enclosing the third of the joint next but one preceding ; the first only has a vital con- nection with the skin ; this apparatus is made to vibrate by the muscles of the tail, with a sound like that of peas in a dry pod. The sound of the rattle closely resembles that made by the 17-year locust (cicada) and grasshop- pers. It is popularly but erroneously believed that the age of the snake can be estimated by the number of the rattles ; though these may increase with age, their fragility is -811011 that many may be lost from accident; and moreover, more than one may be added annu- ally, according to the vigor, food, state of cap- tivity, &c., of the animal ; 20 are not unfre- quently seen in large specimens, but it would be incorrect to conclude from these that the snake was neither more nor less than 20 years old. As the bite of these reptiles is speedily fatal to small animals, it has been generally be- lieved that the use of the rattles is to warn an- imals and man of its vicinity; but, as other equally and even more dangerous species have no such apparatus, it is more likely that its use is to startle the squirrels, birds, and other crea- tures upon which it preys from their retreats, or for some other purpose for its own welfare rather than the safety of man. It may serve for its own protection by alarming its enemies and drawing attention to its menacing attitude; yet were this the case we should expect the young to be best provided with this apparatus, whereas it increases in size with age ; it has been suggested that it is to call the sexes to- gether. (See vol. vi. of " American Naturalist," 1872.) Rattlesnakes rarely attack man unless provoked, and are sluggish in their movements, unable to spring except from a coil, and are disabled by slight blows. They are ovo-vivip- arous, the eggs being retained until hatched, and the young expelled alive ; in winter they retire to holes in the ground, and there remain torpid, several interlaced with each other ; they are unable to climb trees, and do not follow a retreating animal which has escaped their spring. They are said to be fond of music, like many other serpents. Some Indians are afraid to kill them, lest the spirit of the slaugh- tered animal should excite its living relatives to avenge its death. They are capable of attain- ing to a considerable age, and are tenacious of life under circumstances speedily fatal to most other animals. The most common is the band- ed rattlesnake (C. [uropsophvs] durissits, Linn.), 4 to 5 ft. long, ash-colored above with irregular transverse dusky bars, confluent near the tail ; vertebral line yellowish, the sides tinged with the same ; the body is thick and robust and the tail short and thick ; in a specimen about 4 ft. long the head was 2 in., the body 40, the tail 8|, and nine rattles 2 in., the greatest circum- ference being 6 in. ; there were 177 broad ab- dominal plates, and 25 under the tail ; in the young the tail is black. It is generally distrib- uted throughout the United States, from lat. 45 to the gulf of Mexico, and from the Atlan- tic to the Mississippi and Red rivers ; it preys Rattlesnake (CrotaluB durissus). principally on rabbits, squirrels, rats, and small birds, quietly waiting for them to come within its reach, its bite proving fatal to animals of this size in less than a minute when the snake is in full vigor. It is now rarely met with in the northern states, except in uncultivated and rocky places, remote from dwellings ; it is more common in the western states, where its fat is highly prized as an antidote to its bite, and also for rheumatic and neuralgic pains ; cattle are often bitten by it, and it is the cus- tom there to cast them and bury the wounded part in the mud, recovery taking place rapidly ; this shows the comparatively little danger for a large animal, as there can be nothing cura- tive in the application made. The diamond or water rattlesnake (C. adamantevs, Beauv.) is dark brown or dusky above, with a series of large rhomboidal spots continuous from head to tail ; abdomen dirty yellowish white ; the mouth is large, the neck small and contracted, and the body long and thick ; it is the largest of the genus, and may attain a length of 8 ft. ; in one about 6 ft. long the head was 2f in., the body 60, the tail 2|, and the rattles 3 in. ; abdominal plates 172, and 25 subcaudal. It frequents damp and dark places, always near water, though not living in it ; it is one of the most hideous and sullenly ferocious ser- pents of the family ; its range is very limit- ed, from North Carolina to East Florida, on the seacoast. The C. horridus (Linn.) is a na- tive of the warm parts of South America ; it