The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-08-19
Scientists Decy It, But the farmers
Boy Says It is &c.
OLD-TIME BOYS REMEMBER IT.
They VIII All Tell You That They Have
Done IL Themselves Many a Time.
But Science is stubborn and
Ridicules the Idea.

snake. II there Is any one tnihg on
which scierce and popular penei cash
especially popular behat IN 'ne rurh
districts-it H. the horsenaIr snake
Science "a stinnecked ana Stubborn.
The popular mind knows What n Is
talking about. particularly the rural
mind SO there you are.
who that has passed. his boyhcod
days I'm the county has not among the
most vivid OF his memories or that
golden time the hors"halr snake-tnat
lively. wigglug. comforting creature
found In wagon ruts ana mud puddles
after warm showers. and IN wayside
ditch pools almost any time during the
sultry summer days? And who among
such does not believe 20 this day what
he firmly believed then. and Will tell
his grandchildren that this curious
creature was just what II was declared
10 he-a horsehair snake. living and
lively rem lle. evolved from common
horsohair by contact with water under
certain conditions? And ] don't believe
YOU will ind many 81 the od-timo boys
who won't tell YOU that they have pro-
duced these snakes themselves SUBMIT
ed their horse hairs. purloined from
some convenient horses mane or taih
10 the rainWater barrels and been re-
warded. after due time. by seeing them
moving about therein things OF life II
not entirely Of beauty-veritable snakes
from 10 inches long. about as large
round as and the color OF the elastic
thread I'm sueDender with a tiny head
and a bihd tail. and faint golden
stripe down both sides Of the body But
science rises up and ridcules their idea
Of a horsehair snake.
SCIENCE PROTESTS.
What 80 cries. Make a live snake
! ont Of a hair from horses tail2'
sure" the rural mind replies. know
ing what IN is talking about
'Bosh. dddlesticks and fudge says
science oh shades Of Darwin has
evolution come 20 this| n cries.
And what do you think science viii
80 on 10 tell YOU your horsehair snake
IS even after YOU have seen it develop
right under YOUR nose so 90 speak,
Science will Tell YOU that II IS simply
tho GordIs aquaticus. true entozoon.
that is 81 is one Of that interesting
family Of parasites that thrive on other
creatures. living I'm and on their interiors
10 the fatal dctrimcnt Of tho creatures
thus selected 70 be lived In and on.
Science will not even give II the dignity
~ statehood. but saws y Is merely "A
hair worm Science describes n Just as
the boys Of the old-time have seen It
as n ceased 20 be a horsehair. just as
I described 10 n noUo7t ago. cXcc@t
| fnaf science saws lNhN iNf llillH Oh ''~
tineushed from tho female bv having
the tail bifd. Science SAYS IL is COM
mon I'm most Of our fresh water ponds
| and rivulets and admits that IN IS well
known 10 every farmers boy in the coun-
| try ard they mostly believe IN ITS de-
veiopment from a horsehair.' And this
| rs the way that science declares your
| horsehair snake comes 70 be;
THE ova are deposited IN strings Ike
i Taf 81
/ or creeks. and they arc greedily swal-
! lowed BY various aquatic insects. Thus
| from the time the egg Is Matched the
first part of the worms life is spent
! as n parasite. absorbing nutrlment from
| the body Of its unlucky host. The large
| water beetles are very subject 20 these
| parasites They have been found In
| cricket and once when dissecting a large
water snake between the outer and in
/ ner epidcrmis lay some Of these worms.
! They are graceful swimmers. but when
| taken from the water ~ irritates them
! so much that they twist themselves into
such an intricate knot that II is almost
| impossible 20 unloose a.. These worms
are aptly named from Gordius. that old
| Phryeian king who tied the world-fa-
nous knot on which the empire of Asia
! depended
THROUGH IGNORANCE.
proceeding. science SAYS that there
| IS no doubt that 'onc reason why the
! idea Of the horsohair snake has beer
/ propagatcd IS the experience OF igno-
! rant persons who have had various aqua
! tie insects I'm clear water. watching
/ them for study or curiosity Knowing
! they nut in only certain live creatures.
/ and some day finding these live worms.
! they were astonished The chances are
| they developed from pet beetle that
! in its native pond made feast Of some
| ova Of the Gordius. 20 be paid dearly
| for later when they were Matched. The
watchers little knew when the beetle
Law dead. 10 had given life 70 these
worms that had fed ON IT'S vitals-but
so it, IT, in this as I'm an creation. in
| the midst Of life we are IN death. and
| from death still comes lie
Don't that Just KIN you? CO up
| Wonder and tell that barefoot urchin
! that the horsehair hN placed I'm the
| rain barrel the other day. and which
! IS nov wigg'ing and squirming about.
| = live and lively snake. is adj e. mistake;
! that II IS a worm that came from the
| vitals OF q pet beetle Hen look sur
| prised. and will tell you that he never
| had 2 pet beetle. never heard or one;
| but tell him he must have had. Science
saws so. or else he couldn't have had
| horsehair snake lie VIII think YOU
! are crazy. Duf fnai A''Ni -HttN'i.
Science must be upheld Why ding ~
| Science might just as well stand mp and
| saw I'm lar when 7 toll II have made
! horsehalr snakes mys IT, more times
! than can count That ! can do u
| again. That T stand ready 10 DO ~
Let science grab is horsahalr and tetch
| II and a bucket Of water 70 me- I'll
show n how the snake evolves so quick
/ it'U make IT'S. head swim I'm not say
! ing A word against the Cordius aquau-
Gus. although il IS a true entozoon. II
is all right But so IS the horsehair
| snake. although f. doesn't 60 about de-
vourinC watersnakes. beetles, ana eric
| kbtsi And tell 'em 7 said soi
THEY WERE PLENTIFUL.
ct only wish some good ironclad cham
| nion of science on the horsehair snake
| question could have been with me one
! GUNNER I'm northern Pennsylvania. Men
AZ that time I'm the employ OF Leroy
LYMAN IN the lumber woods Of Mexican
county daily watered their horses in the
sti1 water OF a. creek near where they
| worked and on quitting work washed
! their hands and faces in the same quiet
/ noot Hairs from the heads and boards
| ,at~roii,. zen into the water The horses
| oiso vbisked hairs from their tails into
the water. BY and by the men noticed
! tbo+ he water was alive with hair
| srel-oe rs they were called. They were
| 30 an sizes and they had plainly devel-
| orod 40, alone ffam the hairs OF the
| horsc.s tails but also rom the mems
aa.hfsl,ors and hair that had Gr9pped into
I -. L. a