Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-05
STRANGE FACTS ABOUT SNAKES
Cannibalistic Preferences Are Display
ed by Certain Species of the REPTILES.
Ion the London Spectntnr

i'NiH tAe i~"iuuh spectator
One of the strange, or as some deem 1t.
unnatural, features in snake history is that
the principal food of certain species is other
snakes The feeling as to the habit being
Unnatural arises from the general knowI-
edge of the fact that carnivorous animals
seldom Kill and eat other carnivora. Rv a
very curious chance, if it is a chance and
not part of the order of nature among the
snakes. two out of the three English SER
penis live mainly If not on snakes on other
snakeIlke creatures. The favorite food both
o. the smooth snake and of the adder is the
sIoWWorm, which, though lizard is In an
pearance nothing but a snake The smooth
snakes two out of the three English SER
worms and lizards Its range which is very
limited and is steadily decreasing, seems to
depend almost entirely on the presence of
lizards -
The following interesting description of
the manner OF hunting of the smooth snake
Is given by Mr.. Baldry: LAS soon as IL sees
It's victim within easy reach it slowly APP
proaches, keeping its body concealed but
slightly raising its head above the heather
ana coarse grass. When 1t gets within
STRIKING distance. after remaining motion
less for few seconds. it darts suddenly and
with the quickness of thought at the throat
or the helpless lizard. If its aim is success
1uI the snake instantly grasps with its tail
stem of heather or tuft of grass and pro-
ceeds at once TO the enjoyment of its meal.
1t first gradually shifts its hold from the
throat to the snout of the lizard by slow
and almost impe-ceptible degrees When
once II has the lizards head fairly in its
Jaws the process of swallowing is rapid and
the strong protests of its victim are nm
eValiing, as the snake with its tail knotted
round the grass, is able to overcome all re-
Slstance. In this way 1t will dispose of a
hzard as large round as itself and two
thirds Of its length"
Ihough Vipers are very abundant in MANY
parts OF both England and Scotland there
rial fol y,.,
causing injury TO fiocks as is current i'm the
SWISS mountains. Doubtless they are there
very nischievous TO lambs and kids In
England no shepherd ever reckons the viper
as among his natural enemies except on
the Cheviot Hills. On those green noun
talnS, swarming with sheep the injury
deolted To the vipers has led to the survival
OF a very ancient race of quite wild goats
Ihese goats correctly or not are believed
10 XIII numbers Of vlpers, and consequently
no farmer ever Kills one or sees one shot as
Is occasionally done, without regret No
one KNOWS how long these goats have con-
tinued to exist as privileged animals owing
70 their reputed usefulness but as the keen
ing OF sheep became possible on the border
atter the union of England and Scotland
hao made property safe, the breed may have
an antiquity of nearly three centuries
There Is a very marked difference between
the eHects OF vipers bite and those of the
sung or wasp or hornet The means of
introducing the poison Is the same in each
case-puncture with a hollow point But
While the pain from the insects sting is In
slant and acute, that from the viper's bite
Is at first no more than is caused by the
prick of a tooth. Numbness. great drowsi-
ness and then swelling and aching follow
The reason is that the poison injected by the
wasp or hornet is formc acid. But in the
Vlpers reservoir above the tooth is a far
more deadly secretion. the effect Of which
is paralyzing. Some five cases in all are on
record OF children dying from the bite of
vipers. The poison acts first on the heart
depressing It's action and causing fainting
Later 1t causes general blood poisoning of
the part affected. There is no doubt that
Inc bite would pa-alyze a small rat in few
minutes, and that the deaths of sheen and
cattle and dogs from unknown causes" are
OFTEN due to vipers Mr.. Leighton notes
that In Herfordshire young bullock was
round dead. with an adder curled up beside
II, in the summer of 1900.