The reptile book; a comprehensive popularised work on the structure and habits of the turtles, tortoises, crocodilians, lizards and snakes which inhabit the United States and northern Mexico . ment of the rattle is uncovered. This has been steadily develop-ing under the old epidermis and at such times its presence wasapparent in the swollen appearance at the base of the originalbutton. Immediately after the shedding of the skin, this ringis black and soft. It loosely encases the base of the button, and,after a few days, when the segment has become thoroughly dryand the tail is shaken, a faint,
The reptile book; a comprehensive popularised work on the structure and habits of the turtles, tortoises, crocodilians, lizards and snakes which inhabit the United States and northern Mexico . ment of the rattle is uncovered. This has been steadily develop-ing under the old epidermis and at such times its presence wasapparent in the swollen appearance at the base of the originalbutton. Immediately after the shedding of the skin, this ringis black and soft. It loosely encases the base of the button, and,after a few days, when the segment has become thoroughly dryand the tail is shaken, a faint, buzzing sound is produced—this caused by the loosely attached button rasping against thedry segment to which it is fastened. Now that the button hasbecome detached from the base of the tail, it becomes a dullstraw colour—the general hue of the rattle. At this time thesnake has a rattle in miniature. Every succeeding segmentis produced in exactly this fashion. By the time the snake has developed thus far, the hibernatingseason approaches, and it retires for the winter. April brings itforth again to feed voraciously and begin a rapid growth. Around 43° THE REPTILE BOOK PLATE CXXVII. A RATTLESNAKE DEN A deep cleft in a ledge in the mountains of Sullivan County, New York, where large numbers of the Timber Rattlesnake, Crotalus horridus, gather to bask in the autumn sun and to hibernate
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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1900, bookcollection, bookdecade1910, bookyear1915
