Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-15

by the Outing Publishing company,
Il Horace Kephart, the author, gives
many valuable suggestions for treatment
in case Of snake bite, suggestions that
are particularly timely just now, when
the harvesting season is at hand. Mr..
Kephart says:
The only dangerous snakes in the Uni
ted States are the rattlesnake, the cop
perhead and the cottonmouth moccasin.
The small coral snake (harlequin, bead
snake) of the gulf states, and the
Sonoran coral snake of New Mexico and
Arizona are somewhat venomous, but
their bite is not fatal to a healthy adult.
The Gila monster of the southwest Is a
dangerous lizard-the only one that is
venomous-but can scarcely be provoked
to bite.
All other reptiles of our country and
Canada are harmless-their bite is no
more to be feared than that of mouse.
The notion that the bite of a puff-adder
must be dangerous because the snake
puffs up its neck and Kisses like a goose,
or that the common water snake Is a
moccasin and consequently venomous, is
all moonshine, like the story of the
hoop snake and the snake with a poison
out sting in its tall
However, that other notion that a
rattlesnake's bite is not a serious mat
ter is moonshine, too. Men who know
nothing about other rattlers than the
little prairie rattlesnake are not compe-
tent to expires san opinion on the subject.
A bite from any venomous snake Is
dangerous, In proportion to the size of
the snake, and to the amount of venom
that enters the circulation. A bite that
does not pierce an important blood ves-
sci Is seldom fatal, even IL no treatment
Is given, unless the snake be quite large
| The rattlesnake, copperhead and cot
tonmouth are easily distinguished from
all other snakes, as all three of then
bear a peculiar mark, or rather pail
of marks, that no other animal possesses
This mark is the pit. which is a deeI
cavity on each side of the face between
the nostril and the eye, sinking into thu
upper jawbone.
Fangs Carry Venom
All venomous snakes have fangs, ant
no harmless ones have them. The fang!
are in the upper jaw only. In the cora
snakes they are permanently erect bu
| in the other venomous snakes here named
they lie flat against the roof of thu
mouth when not in use, pointing back
ward, and are erected by the reptile IL
striking. They are long, slender sharpl,
pointed, either grooved on the outside ol
perforated and connected by duct will
the venom glands which lie behind thu
eyes. Auxiliary fangs lie In a sac under
meath the regular fang on each side, and
in case the latter Is broken off or ex
tracted a new fang will be ready fol
business within few days.
Here are a few characteristics of the
pit vipers, as our three deadly snake!
are collectively called:
oil 1nd
upland moccasin, pilot snake, sunk head)
A small snake two ito three feet long
with moderately thick body, broad ant
| triangular head quite distinct from thu
neck, tail short, dark colored and pointed
| Color of back bronze hazel or ligh
reddish brown; with fifteen to twent,
| darker bands, which are narrow on baoi
| and expand to wide blotches on TN
hankss, the shape being somewhat ik
that of a dumb-bell with very short nan
die Head, a bright copper-red, with tW
small dark brown spots close together O.
the forehead at upper part of head-shiele
and with q cream-colored band around tn
mouth
The copperhead inhabits the mountain
GUS and hilly regions from Massachusetts
southwark to the gulf and westwar
(south of Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa an
Nebraska) to Kansas, Indian Territor.
| and Texas.
It's venom is as deadly as that of th
rattlesnake, but it is not secreted in al
| large quantity as that of the larger rat
tiers; consequently the wound is no
| likely to be so serious. Still, the copper
| head is a particularly dangerous creature
| because 1t gives no warning of its pres
ence nor, according to my observation
does 1t try to get out of the way, bu'
holds it's ground and springs at any in
| truder.
| Only one species.
2. Cottonmouth moccasin (water moe
casin). A larger snake, ordinarily about
three feet, sometimes four feet long
Stout body, head shaped like that Of the
| copperhead and similarly distinct from
the neck Back brown, reddish or olive
with eleven to fifteen rather inconspicu
GUS bars, or pairs of bars, of DARK
| brown, with light centers on each flank
| Tail short, pointed, and dark brown OF
banded Belly brownish yellow, mottlec
with dark blotches.
| Habitat, North Carolina southwark te
the gulf, westward through Kentucky
| Southern Illinois and Missouri to Okla
homa and Eastern Texas.
| Not so poisonous as the larger kinds
of rattlesnakes, but still dangerous tt
| human life Quite numerous in the
southern states. More aggressive thar
| the rattlesnake striking at everything
within reach; but usually rather delib-
crate about striking, first opening Its
mouth, widely for some seconds, as ifitc
intimidate, and showing the white in
terror (hence the name "cottonmouth'O J.
Usually found near water, and often on
low limbs overhanging the water
| Only one species. The other so-called
'.moccasins" are either the copperhead
or harmless snakes.
8. Rattlesnake. OF rattlers we have nc
less than sixteen species, but only two
of them, the massasauga and the banded
or timber rattlesnake, are found in the
eastern and central states. The little
prairie rattlesnake, which is not very
dangerous, Is abundant on the plains
west of the Missouri river. The great
diamond rattlesnake of the south, which
sometimes grows to length of nearly
nine feet, is the most formidable member