The Winslow mail., 1923-09-14
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THE WEEKS BEST GOOD TURN

| The forces of the Boy Scouts of
America are to be drawn up in a ma
tion-wide Civic Good Turn in the form
of assistance in community rat-killing
campaigns. The Executive Board, Boy
Scouts of America, has performed
what may be termed "The Weeks
Best Good Turn" by it's recent Of
| fetal backing of Scouts help in or
ganized effort, to rid the land of the
malignant rodent
That Scoutings standards of fair
| play and humane ideals will in no
wise be endangered by Scouts parti-
cipation in the determination of the
pests, is cited by DR.. w. T. Hornaday,
| Director of the New York Geological
Park, known the world over for his
| high sportsmanship and sympathetic
knowledge of animal life.
Il cannot conceive of a more laud-
able use of the surplus energies of
the Boy Scouts than in helping in the
task of bringing about the total ex-
tinction of the common rat, the re-
cognized pest throughout the world,
says DR.. Hornaday. "The Boy Scouts
should be commended and encouraged
in the ruthless killing of rats. If the
loss of the millions of dollars to agri-
culture and the trade, caused by these
animals, is not sufficient to Justify
destruction, then consider the further
menace as the carriers of many con-
/ tagious diseases which they alone are
the means of scattering broadcast.
In my opinion there is no danger of
| impairing the morals of Boy Scouts
or encouraging ruthless slaughter of
wild animals while engaged in the
determination of these loathsome
pests. If the Boy Scouts of America
should be the means of killing off all
domestic rats and rodents they would
be entitled to a medal and a monu-
ment a mile high to show the appre-
citation of the world in general"
Snakes An Things
The ability to handle squirming
snakes without tremor very valu-
able asset at just the right time, is
one advantage many scouts gathered
from their camp outings and nature
study.
A timber rattler recently caught by
Newark, N j., scouts with their bare
hands and successfully ensconced by
them in their own museum at the
Palisades Interstate Park Scout
Camps, N. Y, is an illustration of the
intelligent understanding the boys
are gaining in how to handle the
denizens of the out-of-d doors.
"The capture of the rattler was not
without thrills" states the Newark
News. Stalking the big snake
through the underbrush, the Scouts
caught the reptile by grabbing it
below its jaws and inserting a stick
in ITS mouth to hold back it's poison
Gus fangs.
1T was not until it was within the
clutches of the Scouts that the snake
was aware of the presence of the boys
who moved with moccasin-clad feet
nOiselessy over the soft ground
Then the reptile attempted to offer
resistance, but it was too late. AL
ready the stick had been showed into
it's mouth and it's poisonous fangs
pushed back where they could do no
harm. Wriggle and squirm as it did,
it could not break the hold of the
Scouts, who carried it back to camp
and placed it in a box Later a glass
cage was constructed for it and there
today it rattles away to its hearts
content
Among other exhibits in the New
ark Boys museum are water snakes.
some of them more than an inch and
half in diameter; garter snakes,
green snakes and milk snakes, bull
frogs and turtles of many kinds.
These have been placed in abodes
especially constructed by some boys
as part of their merit badge tests in
Masonry"
In addition there is a live wood
chuck and wild rabbit, on exhibit,
besides specimens of rock, bugs and
beetles, moths and butterflies cater
pillars, edible plants, wild flowers,
leaves and barks of trees, deserted
birds nests, arrow heads and in fact,
practically every example of Mother