The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-08-07
SCIENCE MAY DECRY IT,
,rr THE HORSEHIIR SNAKE rs
Nnr MITHONT ERIENDS.

,,v Farmer Roy VIII Tell Hou That Horse
IInirs Turn Into snakes Under Proper
conditions, and Cow Hairs DO Too
IrrJue GLORY for the Gordius Aqunticus.
GREATER. y. Y. Aug. Now" said the
,,,,roli,t. We have the horschair snake. IL
thcro is AM one thing on which science aud
,n,,r,r belief clash-gspecially popular belief
T., ,he rural districts-it Is the horsehair snake.
a,iencc is stinnccked and stubborn. Thepop-
,Iar mind knows what 1t IL talking about. par
,inuI,rly the rural mind. So there you are.
who that has passed his boyhood days in
the country has not among the most vivid OF
In. memories OF that golden time the horsehair
anakr-that lively. WEIGHING, comforting crea-
mr., found in wagon ruts and mud puddles
,rer warm showers, and in wayside ditch
pDols almost any time during the sultry sum
mer DAYS? And who among such does not be-
lave TO this day what he firmly believed then.
and will tell his grandchildren that this curious
creature was Just what it was declared to be-
a horschair snake. a living and lively reptile.
evolved from u common horsehair by contact
with water under certain condltions2 And l
don't believe YOU will find many OF the old-time
boys who won'ttell youthat they have produced
these snakes Observation-Disclosures their horse
hairs, purloined from some convenient horses
mauo or tail. to the rainwater barrels and been
rewarded. after duo time. by seeing them NOV
ing about therein. things of life II not entirely
Of beauty-veritable snakes from . to Z inches
long, about as large round as and the color of
the elastic thread in a suspender. with q tiny
head and q bind tail. and a faint golden stripe
down both sides OF the body. But science rises
M and ridicules their idea Of q horsehair
snake.
What" it cries. Make q live snake out Of
ahair from q horses tail
"'surep the rural mind replies, knowing
what it Is talking about.
"'Bosh. addlesticks and fudge p says science.
ON. shades of Darwin has evolution come to
this z it cries.
And what do you think science will go on to
tell you your horsehair snake is. even after you
have seen it develop right under Your nose SO
10 speak Science will tell you that 1t is simply
the GordiuS dQudticus. q true entozo0n: that Is.
1t is one Of that interesting family Of parasites
that thrive on other creatures, living in and on
their interiors to the fatal detriment OF the
creatures thus selected to be lived in and on.
Science will not even give it the dignity of a
hood, but says it is merely q hair worm. Science
describes it Just as the boys of the old-time have
seen it as II ceased to be a horsehair, Just as I
described it a moment ago, except that science
says that the male is distinguished from the
female by having the tail bitid. Science says it
is common in mostof our fresh water ponds and
rivulets. and admits that it is well known to
every farmers boy in the country. ant they
mostly believe in its development from a horse
hair And this is the way that science declares
your horsehair snake comes to be:
1.-THE oya are deposited in strings like q
chain on the sides OF shallow ponds or creeks.
and they are greedily swallowed by various
aquatic insects. Thus from the time the egg Is
hatched the first part Of the worms life is
spent as Il parasite. absorbing nutriment from
the body OF lis unlucky host. The large water
beetle, are very subject to these parasites.
They have been found in a cricket. and once
when dlssCctlng II large water snake, between
the outer and inner cpidermls lay some OF
these worms; They are graceful swimmers,
them SO much tnat they twist themselves into
such au intricate knot that 1t is almost impos-
named from CiordluS. that old Phrygian King
who tied the world famous knot on which the
empire OF Asia depended.
Proceeding. science says that there Is no
doubt that one reason why the idea of the
horerlHir snake has been propaGated is the
various uquatic insects in clear water. wuten-
ing them Tor study or curiosity. knowing they
day iinding these live worms. they We're aston
ished. The chances are they DEVELOPED from a
pet beetle that in its native pond made a feast
later when they were hatcied. The watchers
Little knew. when the beetle lay dead; it had
vltals--but so it Is. i'll this as in all creation, in
the midst OF lite we are in death. and from
Don't that Just kill you? Go up youder
and tell that barefoot urchin that the horse
hair he, placed in the rain barrel the other day.
and which is now weighing and sQuirming
about. a live and lively snake, is all a mistakes;
that it IS a worm that, came from the yitals OF q
you that he never had a pet beetle, never heard
OF one; but tell him he must have had. Science
says SO. or else lie couldn't have had d horse
hair snake, He will think you are crazy. but
ihat doSsnt matter, Science must be upheld;
Why ding II! Science might Just as well
have, made horsehuir snakes myself, more
times than ! can count! That | can do it again |
mat | stand ready to dc, i'll Let science grab
its horsehair and fetch it and n bucket of
water TO me! II! show it how the snake evolves
80 quick it'll make its head swiml Pm not say
ing a word. against the GOrdiuS -dQuatcus. al
though It is, a true entozoon, It's all right.
put 50 is the horsehair snake. although it
doesn't, 60 about devouring watersnakes. beet
les. and ,crickets! And tell 'em l said sol
l only wish some good ironclad champion
OF science on the horsehair snake question
could have been with me one summer i'll north
crn Pennsylvania. Men at that time in the
emtioy.o oil Leroy Lyman. in the lumber woods
ni achean county. daily wqtered their horses
III the Sun water OF creek near whore they
worked, and on quitting work washed their
thhuh ana faces IN the same quiet pool. Hairs
from the heads and boards naturally fell Into
me water. The horses also whisked hairs
from their tallS into the water. BY and by the
men noticed that the water was alive with hair
Shakes, as they were called. They were Of all
sizes, and they had plainly developed, not alone
from inc hairs OF the horses. tails, but also
from the mems whiskers and hair that had
cropped into the pool. Horsehair snakes were
not a rarity to any one there. but none Of them
Aan EYER thought that his own hair would de-
fSl9p INTO similar, reptiles, and for that reason
tthey uoeu to watch the antics of the snakes that
ital peeh u part qt themselves with never-ceas-
;pG l9tqresE and amusement, For Gorrobora.
tlol OF this will refer any doubling Thomas OF
science to Mr.. Milo Lyman OF Roulette. Pa.
VINO was Superintendent of the lumber opera
lions MENTIONED. and was not only q daily eye
'WIAess OF the phenomenon, but also contrlbu-
1eq l4Noluntarl!y from his own head hairs that
"lgti IN producing that lively exhibition.
put science draws the line ut horSehaiI
snakes, l suppose IL would draw it closer still
az towhalr snakes, and yet the hairs out of the
tut OIL u cows tail will develop into the liyeliest
sprt OF snakes If treated right. Not only will
ne mars OF a cows tail produce snakes, but
tnc mars from her hide viii Yield living Grea-
eutea liiat ought 70 make even science open its
eyes Any one who ever knew anything about
tho oll-ia9hloncd or. primitive method ol
Susionl, when people and industries were few,
,ot farmers, and others 10 tan their own hides
using wood ashes instead Of lime 10 remove
tnn mar IRON the hides. and when those hairs