The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1906-04-30
VICIOUS SEA SNAKES
rrsee LRs FIFTY VARIETIES. AL os
TAsN yeNCnOUs.

Hushusster of Africs. y" serpent
ON Land kiiIs - Quickly aud Ter
risI, ~ DO Those OF the oreru.
r.arlc4sness is one ~ the most sirik
ing characteristics ~ sea snakes. and
II adds greatly 20 ihc danger that : 20
be- apprebendel from ihem. Tor 10 often
lead. them TO attack fishermen and
swimmers. aud cyeu 10 climb up The
anchor chains and through TIE haws"
holes and .ttack thc crew. aud - the
bite ~ every o.. ~ the nifty known
varieties is fatal here BE- great fear fcit
~ them in the ocean spaces which they
| uh1lit
Tlp.. nfty varieties are all classified /
under the general title ~ tIanIto /
pbidm Npup OF them Is able tu ly, |
uyvhorp except BOO uccHn water Every |
variety and ~ubvariuty H. as poisonous |
as fHo cobra OF tire hushma~trr NJ Af- |
l r..u Ird,~l with the exception Of |
/ these two land varieties. there i- uo |
snake ou luud that Kills 50 swiftly aud |
s, terribly a. do the sea snakes. Ow-
/ ing fp tlrr fatal weapons uud their
ra." aud r'.rr.ty u swimming there
are practically uo enemies which de.
stru. enough of them 10 diminish their
uUWp.-.
Almost uu tho ihauatppiIlia are
lh.m.Iulv oIluTrl oven more gorgeous
iMu uuy ui ihr lIud snakes. with ih"
Iul-.Iu'. et.pIuiuu ~ the coral GRASS
and carpet snakes. They are banded.
striped. -pp,klcd and blotchcd with
rr,rn. olive yellow. blue and black and
present most brilliant spectacle ~
ihry are. seem swimming below 10" sur.
face ur the transparent Blue ~ thc lndi.
uu or"ln. When they are swimming nt
- thc ordinary rate ~ speed they seem
90 uudrlatr .Il over. They dD not wind
through the water us the col does. hut
. their lpcomui 'uu resembles HAT Of the
caterpillar except that " is fur more
| graceful. uui ns they move aIi twist
ihr color. llny along their slides ANA
back. 90. tN,r jo uu th" dolphin When
10 they dash d.. thc'r proy 90 fuil .pc"d
thcy move lhc uu arrow. with thrIr
d heads and u.yks thrust straight before
4 them n they arc swimming under the
!. surface. or. lr they are darling along
, the top ~ the water, with their heads
10 elevated lust enough tu clear the
waves Wh,u they ar" racing along
q thus their sole means Of lpcomotiDn h.
4 their broad. paddle shaped tail, which
q is peculiar go all the Scn snakes and
forms Tie only striking difference hc-
tween them aud the ordinary land ser.
pcnt.
IL This paddle is used lihc u steamers
screw and has Immense power Bent
Is sideways IL will stop the snake inmc
II diatcly as ir the creature had anchored
suddenly When doing or resting over
. reefs. which are common in the cora
banks. suukcs hold fast 90 the rocks OI
= bottom with their broad tails aud vii
"a often sway la this way Tor hours II
calm weather
II. Men may have recovered from the
y. bites OF these scrpcnts, hut there arr
q. certainly none ou record Most o.
their victims are Malay aud other ma
> tive fishermen. and shore dwcllcrs an'
g. physicians rarely get TO see them
n statistics are not kept in that par
rs OF uie world, 50 IL is Impossible &
ascertain how many are killed In thi
=, way each wear. Travellers say thu
Z" there il hardly II lishing village whlcl
&c has not It's tale OF death 10 tell.
IL Scientists once held 10 the OplulO
ie that the dcadllncss ~ the bite was du
of not TO tie venom. like that Of the lan
n. snakes but 20 some property tia
, caused blood poison. as does tile bit
OF many fishes which are not polsonou
W in thcmsclvrs Hut this opinion wa
Sc changed after the medical men o
ms hoard the British wurship Algcrlne Ia
ly made careful observations of sailo
a. who had been bitten. They prove
II. that the snakes were directly poisOI
Gus and that they carry faugs charge
with venom exactly like the cobra.
aS The open ocean is the home of Il
nj sea snakes. They do not even ascen
the rivers Their favorlte hauuts al
cs the arms Of the sca, which separi'
,i. the islands of China. India and Il
49,, south Pacific seas. They don't sta
" near the shores but remain at sou
distance from the land They are Inc
10 pable Of much movement on land, an
Ho after wrlgglug about and biting sa
ma agcly they will stay stll Till they di
rs. They are found In many parts
-, the world - In the Indian and Paci'
oceans. from Cape of Good Hope M
Madagascar 10 the western shores
'fs Panama aud from New Zealand
ere Japan. IN the bay OF Bengal aud q
me sea around Nicobars, Molucca, Tin
GRO and New Guinea New York Herald
hat --------.-