Erroneous Ideas in Regard to Snakes.

Otago Witness, Issue 1751, 13 June 1885, Page 27

Erroneous Ideas in Regard to Snakes.

Xtbaem, who has charge of the reptile »pecimens in the Smithsonian Institute, contradicts much of the popular bolief as to Hnaka 1 ?. Some nf the most dr<wted havo no existence. Tha hoop snike, which taken the end of its tail in it? mouth and ro l^ ever »ud over liko a bwp, killing everything it touches with its venom, tind the blow Buake, the breath of which ia deadly, aro ficlious. As serpents movo about they are constantly feeling ahead with tha tongue, and tho forward fcbruet and peculiar forked appearasaca of the organ has given rise to the false idea that with it the stinging ia done. It i« generally thought that thore .re a great number of poisonous snakes. In North America there are but three species — the rattlesnake, the copperhead or moccasiD, and the coral There aro about 30 varieties of these npecioa altogether. The copperhead ia pro. bably the most dangerous, as it ia vicious, and never rivob warning of any kind before afcribing. The rattlesnake, though more poisonous than either of the others will rattlo at the approach of anything, and try to get away unless brought, to bay. Tha coral in much smaller, and a native of the Southern States. The bito is not nocasoariJy fatal if tho proper ramedieg aro used in time, as, on account of its size, the quantity of poison is small. When a roptile striken he throws bits wholo body forward, and the t'ange penetrate the object against which they come. He does not jump; tho hinder part of the body remains in position, and none of our snakes are in the habit of reaching more than half its length.