The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-04-29
EXPERT EXPLAINS
 WHY RATTLE SNAKE Al WAYS BATTLES
It's Easy Enough, He Says. They Can't Help Them
 selves

ST. LOUIS, Mo. April 2s.-Her- mann Schwarz, local authority on birds. bugs and beasts, says the rat 1 tlesnake is getting away with a lot of rattlng good credit that it does i not deserve, and he is ready to prove | it to the world
 The idea of the rattlesnake rat ting to frighten the observer away! Ha. it is to laugh, says Schwarz. And the mere thought that 1t rat ties to attract birds by making a noise like a locust should tickle any ones funnybone.
 The true reason of "why is rat | tle," Schwarz explained recently to the St. Louis Association of Garden CTS. Is that the snake rattles simply because it cannot help itself. So there goes a perfectly grand illusion, but Schwarz insists it must be just that way and gives his explanation something like this:
 Every other snake sheds its en- tire skin each year, but the rattler always has q small scale left after the shedding is over. As these scales accumulate year after year harsh sound is produced when MT. Rattler rattles his musical appendage." But this personal orchestra is proving to be jinX to the snake, says Schwarz as he told of the ever growing scarcity of the rattlers | W ulIe the HlOTe HOuSSl requires strike and glide away and live to strike another day.
 Then the theory of the joint snake which can glide back and pick up parts of its body that were severed and go on about its way peacefully the so-called joint" snake was naught else but Hazard, whose feet are hidden beneath it's skin. and that it is more than half tail anyway, so with half of it's body gone it is not the least bit worried but continues it's hungry pursuit for prey.
 Blasts Other Theories.
 Since blasting pes theories was in order, Schwarz took another healthy rap at the supposition that there is hoop snake which forms itself into enemy or next meal.
 That story Is all right for bed time yarn." says Schwarz, but for anything else-no, 1t just isn't, l that's all."
 But the real Jolt Schwarz handed his interested listeners came next when he said St. Louis boys couldn't | tell 'the robin from the blackbird. Oh! Shades of air rifle and sling shots But nevertheless it's so. the bird and bug expert says.
 T put a red-winged blackbird and robin before a troop of Boy Scouts here and they couldn't tell which was which. Why, they couldn't even tell me the names of the two birds. Terriblew he commented.
 Iris true one of the gardeners whispered that King Winter had ruled so long that the boys hadn't seen a robin or blackbird for months and hadn't even had time to clean their rifles yet, but Schwarz wouldn't accept this alibi-no. sir. not for one minute.
 Then since the winter was men toned the "heavies" that one puts away for some other day and finds them while shivering from the first cool blasts, chuck full of holes, came in for their share of explanation that Is the secret of. why and how the holes came there was divulged.
 Don't blame the moth too much" said Schwarz.
 "What-what's this?" gasped 0the gardeners, as visions of mothballs tkey had already buried In their "heavies" came to their minds.
 No" Schwarz went on, you sec. It's like this. The moth doesn't eat your 'heavies.' No, but 1t lays loss of eggs while 1t is in its winter home. And these little eggs hatch into the larva or the caterpillar and the little things develop powerful and all-exclusive appetite.
 "Thus-the holes in the heayies, he concluded.