The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-30
ERRORS ABOUT SNAKES.
MANY STORIES ABOUT THEM BIAS
ED ON SUPERSTITION.


Fact-serpents Do Not Charm"
No snake "Rites'--snaIkes of Most
Kinds Are Really the Friends OF
Man.
Nicolas Pike in the Scientific American.
Much has been written recently in rela-
ton to snakes when in danger, receiv-
ing their young into the esophagus and re-
tanning them until danger is over. This
has been denied in strong language by
many naturalsts who seldom think it
worth while to study the biology of this
interesting class of animals. 1t appears
strange that at this late day the widest
superstitions are still extant with regard
to reptile life. There is one reason that
may account partly for it, Nine out of ten
persons who meet snake either kill it or
run from it. Now If a little trouble were
taken to watch some of their habits, they
would soon lay aside their erroneous ideas.
I intend to show in this article that not
only one species of snakes, but many, have
been known to positively care for their
young in this manner. l shall also try and
correct many errors concerning snakes.
1t is a very difficult matter to eradicate
superstitious ideas and foolish errors,
when universally engrafted upon the pub
lie mind. Many of these errors have be-
come fixed among the ignorant, and even
among some that are educated.
That snakes receive their young into the
esophagus when they are in danger is a
well known fact. More than forty years
ago Sir John Richardson published an ac-
count of a rattlesnake that he saw take
a brood of young ones she attracted by
int hpr
mouth, which she held wide open. The
moment the little ones heard the warning
they disappeared into her esophagus.
Prof. Brown Goode, curator of the
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, in
a paper read by him before the American
Association for the Advancement of Sci
ence, proved that the performance was
not an uncommon one.
Col. F. w. Prince, of Hartford Conn.,,
says he saw a snake, probably an adder,
about whose head and body her young
brood were disporting themselves. Instant
ly the mother snake opened wide her
mouth and down her throat ran the baby
brood, one on the tail of the other DR..
Edward Parker states that when in Para
quay he saw seven young rattlers run into
the mouth of the old one He secured them,
and they are now in the collection of the
National Museum, Washington.
Thomas Proctor, lawyer, naturalist, and
informed me that he has seen the common
garter snake take her young into the ESQ
phagus and, after retaining them for some
minutes, has seen them come out again.
have observed this habit in a number
of species, including the rattlesnake, the
common adder, Heterodon platyrhinos, two
| species of garter snakes, E,utania sirtalis
and saurita. In the year 1912 l made a
tour on foot round Long Island, in order
to gain a knowledge of it's fauna and flora.
A naturalist of distinction accompanied
me on the trip. At this early period snakes
including the RATHER and copperhead, were
there not uncommon. The striped pine
snakes and sand adder were very numer-
GUS One day while in camp I observed,
very near my tent, striped snake with
number of little ones around her. call
ed my companion, who was near, to come
and see the pretty sight. AS he came for
ward the snake became frightened and
| made blowing noise, which the young
understood, for they quickly gathered near
the head of the mother, who opened her
mouth wide, and they all disappeared into
her esophagus. quickly seized her by the
neck and secured the whole family, seven
teen in ALL l kept them week and then
gave them their liberty. During the period
of confinement I had the pleasure of see
ing the mother protect her young
several times in the manner above stated.
above from more than one hundred differ
ent sources. OF these, sixty-seven OBJ
served the young dart into the old snakes
mouths. Twenty-Five noted the means of
communication that warned them of dan
ger which was either a blowing, a click.
a rattle, or a whistle. Five witnesses
saw the young go in and come out again
and one observer saw the act repeated on
several successive occasions. Why should
we disbelieve that the snake take their
young into the esophagus when it is well
known that fish do the same thing? The
fish in Panama called the arius, accord
ing to Agassiz, carry their young in this
way. While at the Seychelles group of
Islands, Southern Africa it was nv Gus
tom to battle in the ocean every morning
On one occasion, in company with an Off
Ger OF the English army, we observed
fish, which l thought TO be "Iaffe vo-
liant, lying quite motionless near the bot
tom, in shallow water. Numerous small
ilsh, two inches in length, were swim
ming around the larger fish's head When
We disturbed what proved to be the
mother she opened her mouth wide and
instantly the young disappeared down her
throat. At first we thought she had de-
Voured them, but in few minutes they
all appeared, swimming round the head
of the mother as before Again when dis
turbed she did the same thing We tried
the experiment with a number of individ-
uals with the same results We Thought
at the time we had made a great discov
cry. In speaking of the circumstance to
some friends we found it was well known
TO those living in-the islands
There is a fish in the Amazon river
south America, that has been observed
10 care for her young in the same manner
The fish is called the ''studis" There are
many animals that have similar habit
Among the reptiles there are lizards ma
tive of South Africa, have observed do
this / could add largely to the above. but
space will not admit in this article.
The common error, which is almost uni
Yersal, is that snakes bite Snakes do NOT
bite! Their jaws are connected only NV
a cartilage, are not hinged, and cannot he
brought together with any force. The mol
sonous snake strikes from its coil thrn,vs
its head and body forward. and strikes
or hooks its fangs into the object aimed
at The entire work is done with the I'm
per jaw, the lower jaw having nothing n
do with it. The serpent does not swaIIow
its prey, but slowly draws itself over the
creature it devours. 1t is enabled 10 do
so by the elasticity of the skin and TIE
extraordinarily loose condition of the
teeth-bearing bones of its fangs. AS for a
snake depositing thick slime all over lis
before cuy a.