RATTLE SNAKE

The rattle snake of America is a large, brownish, dangerously poisonous snake, the bite of which is fatal to man. It has a rattle at the tip of its tail, composed of a series of loose horny rings, which when shaken, produce a rattling sound. These rings increase in number with age. The rattle snake feeds upon small mammals, which they hunt at night. It is sluggish in disposition and does not bite readily except when disturbed. During the cold weather it hibernates underground. The noise of the rattle is very loud in dry weather, but much duller on wet days and is a shrill sound like that of a rattling alarm clock. Rattle snakes are confined to America.