Fig. 37 in A History Of Herpetology At The American Museum Of Natural History

Fig. 37. The push-button rattlesnake, introduced into the Hall of Reptile and Amphibian Life in 1931. A handwritten page found with the draft of that year's annual report states that the ''mechanical rattlesnake... was made possible by the ingenuity of Mr. Hassler.'' The snake was very popular and was still in operation when Richard Zweifel arrived at the Museum in 1954. Zweifel, however, grew to dislike the aging contraption, since a duty of the new Assistant Curator was to check it frequently to make certain that it was in working order. Photographed in 1934. AMNH Photographic Archives 117728.