Identifier: zoologicallectur21809shaw (find matches)
Title: Zoological lectures delivered at the Royal Institution in the years 1806 and 1807
Year: 1809 (1800s)
Authors: Shaw, George, 1751-1813 Mearns, Edgar Alexander, 1856-1916, former owner. DSI Royal Institution of Great Britain
Subjects: Zoology
Publisher: London : Printed for George Kearsley, by Thomas Davison
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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large heads, covered with small scales,whereas those which are innocent have the headgenerally covered with large scaly plates; but onthe other hand some highly venomous Serpentshave the head covered with large scales also; sothat no absolute mark of distinction can be foundexcept the fangs. In general it may be said thatinnocent Serpents have four rows of teeth in theupper jaw; two on the palate and the rest on eachside; but that poisonous Serpents have no otheroutward or side-teeth but the fangs. The genera or particular sets of Serpents esta-blished by some modern naturalists are pretty nu-merous, and even unnecessarily so. Linnaeus onthe contrary establishetl but few. His first genusis that of Ciotalus or Rattle Snake. Its characteris that beneath the body are broad scaly semi-circular transverse plates or shields; the same, to-gether with some divided shields beneath the tail,and the tail itself terminated by a rattle, composedof many dry horny flattish organs of a peculiar ^6 J.
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LECTURE VII. 37 shape, growing over each other, and so consti-tuted as to give a strong ratthng sound when theanimal shakes them, which it never fails to dowhen irritated or disturbed, and may thus be saidto warn other animals of their danger in makingtoo near an approach. The common Rattle-Snake(for there are several different species) is naturallya slow-moving animal, and therefore all the talesthat are told of its darting with the rapidity oflightning about its native woods and plains, mustbe considered as mere imaginary description. TheCount de Cepede in his history of the Rattle-Snake commences with a Buffonian flourish of thiskind, and assures us that the traveller wanderingin the midst of the burning solitudes of Africa,and fainting under the midday heat, feels not amore thrilling horror on hearing at a distance thetremendous voice of the Tyger roaring for his prey,than he who passing through the moist forests ofthe new world experiences, when in the midst ofbeauty and fragranc

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