The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-09-05
STUDY OF SNAKES.
Is Being Made BY Sober Professor for
School Purposes.

Harrisburg Cor. Philadelphia Inquirer.
In about three weeks State Economic
Zoologist Surface will issue bulletin on
the snages OF Pennsylvania, in which he
will describe the twenty-four species of
serpents native In Pennsylvania and give
what he considers to be the greatest
amount of information about the food of
serpents ever published.
I'm fact" said he today, II think the
bulletin will contain more on that point
than is contained in all of the literature
on the subject"
Prof. Surface has been collecting data,
live and written, on this subject for
months. He has received snakes, wrig-
Cling and dead, from every county in the
state, having practically every one of the
species known in Pennsylvania in his coll
lection on the fifth floor of the north wing
of the capitol. Only yesterday he received
four-and-a-half foot live copperhead
snake, which was photographed by himself
and his assistants In a dozen different
poses and acts. He also received a spec-
men of the green grass snake, commonly
supposed to be venomous, but which Prof.
Surface says is not So
The bulletin will be exceedingly valua-
BILE to farmers, for 1t will furnish all kinds
of information about serpents, their
habits, appearance, characteristics, and.
above all, their manner of propagation
and how they feed. The bulletin will give
photographs taken of rattlesnakes right
in the capitol, the subject being a live
one, which was received some time ago.
Practically every bit of useful knowl-
edge about this snake will be sifted out
of the voluminous correspondence Of Pro-
fessor Surface on this subject. The same
will be done with other varieties, and the
lore about the copper-head will be instruc-
tive. 1t will be illustrated by proto-
graph showing the young copperhead,
wrapped In Its natal membranes, side by
side with another, revealing the snake
much alive This will demonstrate that
the copper-head does not lay eggs, but
there will be photographs of eggs of other
serpents, some secured In front of the
incubator in which Professor Surface has
been Matching the reptiles to further his
studies.
In addition data about the contents of
the stomachs of some hundreds OF snakes
will be given to show on what the various
species feed.
Professor Surface says he intends to
make this a preliminary bulletin, in adj
vance of most exhaustive study of the
snake, one which will be unique In Amer
lea The bulletin will be issued only to
persons who have contributed to the stock
of snakes sent to the office of the division
for the furtherance of It's investl cations,
these contributions being. by the way,
the snakes which Professor Surface In
tends to send to every county In Pennsyl-
vania for use in It's schools. This is his
plan to disseminate information to the
young about a reptile which he declares
Is less known and about which there is
more ignorance and superstition than any
other.
There are still nedeed many snakes for
this collection 1t is planned to send
complete set of the common snakes to
every one of the sixty-seven counties and
dozens more are required.