. Cassell's natural history. Animals; Animal behavior. 318 XATVBAL UIRTOIlY. from the eye to the angle of the moutli. Tliere are two lars;e black bands which begin behind the head and run along the neck and back for some distance. The nasal plates are very- small, and tne space between the orbits is covered with plates or scales, larger than those in the others. The Missouri Rattlesnake* is slim, and is from two to thx-ee feet long. They inhabit the country bordering on the Rocky Mountains, and from the Mexican to the British boundaries. It is found from California to Utah, but the Yellowstone
. Cassell's natural history. Animals; Animal behavior. 318 XATVBAL UIRTOIlY. from the eye to the angle of the moutli. Tliere are two lars;e black bands which begin behind the head and run along the neck and back for some distance. The nasal plates are very- small, and tne space between the orbits is covered with plates or scales, larger than those in the others. The Missouri Rattlesnake* is slim, and is from two to thx-ee feet long. They inhabit the country bordering on the Rocky Mountains, and from the Mexican to the British boundaries. It is found from California to Utah, but the Yellowstone is its favourite locality. Crotalus lucifer is found in Arizona and in the Pacific region. The Prairie Rattlesnake, or Massasauga,t is distributed in the Praii-ie countries from Ohio and Michigan westward, and it does not appear to go farther westward than the Yellowstone. They. prefer an unproductive soil, "where their sluggish gait may not meet tlie opposing obstacles ci grass and mud; and for their hiding-places they seek the holes of the Praii-ie J)og {CynomiU' hidoviciana). It has some large plates on the head, and the rattle is much smaller than in the other Rattlesnakes, and is included in the genus Crotalophorus (Gray). There is also a small .species in the south, \ which hides in grass and feeds on field mice. Coues, the American naturalist, thus writes about the rattle :— " The purpose subserved in the economy of the animal by this singular organ has been the subject of much speculation and dis- cussion. It is diflScult to perceive what use the rattle can be, either in procuring prey or avoiding enemies. We do not know that it comes into play at all in the pursuit of prey, while the actual result of its use as a menace in self-defence is the reverse of beneficial to the Sei-jjent, since the sound serves to direct and provoke attack from all enemies which the animal has occasion to ; " Tlie principal enemies of the Rattlesnake besides man a
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