THE RATTLESNAKE
Snakes with a depression between the eyes and nostril are known as pit-vipers. Of such a character is the rattlesnake, a very venomous reptile. Its peculiar rattle is due to the horny, loosely-jointed rihgs at the stump-end being rapidly vibrated, just as when two pieces of bone, called castanets, are struck together, they form a distinct musical note. Young rattlesnakes have at first only one of these horny rings. Additional rings are gradually added in front, or between the terminal ring and the stump of the tail. In older snakes the rings number as many as 20 or 30. though few now attain to such an age. as so many areas once wild are now thickly-populated and cultivated A remarkable characteristic of the rattlesnake is the powerful fascination it exerts over birds and animals Though there are snakes more deadly, its bite is said often to prove fatal in two minutes.
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Bibliographic details
Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1037, 30 July 1930, Page 14
Word Count
153THE RATTLESNAKE Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1037, 30 July 1930, Page 14
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