The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1893-12-07
TIE EA7 OF SNAKES.
Ehy Many ht.ires and some Grown Per
eonS DisliSe Them

Why Many .hi.dseii and some Grown Per.
sons Dislike Them
There are many authenticated III
stances of children becoming attached tc
snakes and making pets of them. The
solution of a question of this kind is
sometimes to be found in the child mind.
My experience is that when young chill.
dren see this creature its strange APP
pearance and manner of progression. 5,
unlike those of other animals known tc
them. affect them with amazement and
a sense of mystery and that they fear il
just as they would fear any other strange
thing. Monkeys are doubtless affected
in much the same way. although in a
state of nature, where they inhabit for
ests Astounding with the larger construct.
ors N tree snakes. it is high
ly probable that they also possess a ira
ditional fear Of the serpent form. !,
would be strange if they did not.
The experiment of presenting a Gagged
monkey with IA serpent carefully wrapped
up in a newspaper and watching his be
havior when he gravely opens the par.
eel, expecting to fire nothing more
wonderful than the familiar sponge
cake or %succulent banana-well. such
an experiment has been recorded ir
half a hundred important scientific
works. and of respect to ones mus
tiers one ought to endearo not TO smilt
when reading it. \ bird view NIGH,
be taken which woull account for Gu.
feeling toward the serpent without ii
ther instinct or tradit on. Extreme fear
Ct all ophidians Nigh simply result fron
vague knowledge cf the fact that som
kinds are Venomous that. in some rary
cases. death follows swiftly on thei,
bite. and that, not being sufficiently in
telligent to distinguish the noxious from.
the innocuous-at all events while IN
der the domination of a sudden, violen,
s~motion-we destroy them all alike
thus adopting Heroa's rough and ready
method of Kidding his city of one incon
venient babe by a general slaughter {,
innocents.
1t might be objected that in Europe
where animosity to the serpent is great
est. death from snake bite is hardly to bc
feared; tl-at Fontana's 5000 experiments
with the viper. showing how small is the
amount of venom possessed by this sre-
cies. how rarely 1t has the power to de
stroy human life. have been before tls
world for Il century. And although il
must be admitted that Fontana's wors
is no IN the hand Of every Peasant. ~
fact remains that death from snake tite
is a rare thing III Europe. Probably mol
more than one LOSING Iii. IL from th.s
cause for every ea5o WHO peri j. ny hydro.
phobia. Of all forms oI fiea Ii Int mos.
terrible. Yet while the sight Of Il sua.t
excites III a majority II persons tie Elusi
violent emotions. dogs are universe! f.
~vorites. and we have them always W.T.
rs and make pets of them in spite Of Tn.
knowledge that they may at any tins
become rabid and infict that uuspea.:a
bly, dreadful suffering and desIrGrtaA
On us.
This leads to the following quesr' ~
Is L hot at least probable that our *,
cessive fear of the serpent, so unworthy
of us as rational beings. and the canse Of
so much unnecessary cruelty, is partlp
at all events, a result of our superstitious
fear of sudden death: For there exists,
we know, an exceedingly widespread de-
fusion that the bite of a veuomous ser,
rent must III and kill quickly. Com
pared with such ophidian monarchs as
the ~bushuIastcr. fer de lance, hamadry-
ad and tic poionga. the viper of Europe
the poor viper Of many experiments
and much mot too readable) literature
may be regarded as almost harmless-at
all events not more harmful than the
hornet. Neyertheles>, in this cold, north
ern world. even as in the other worlds
where nature Celebrates more potent
juices, the delusion prevails and may be
taken into account here, although its
origin cannot now be discussed. For my
own part | am inclined to believe that
We regard serpents witha destructive
hatred purely and simply because we are
3D. taught from childbood.-Macmillan's
Magazine.