Evening star., 1950-02-03
This and That
D., 1L,~I.. u T~,,...v
By Charles e. TraceIVeU
SOUTHERN AVE. Sc.

Dear Sir:
From your recent article on snakes
quote: 7r~
1.-The legends built up about them include
many tall tales, still believed in by many
persons who are willing to swear to their
truth Thus we have the hoop snake that
is believed to take its tail in its mouth and
go rolling down the road
Several years ago while at Dares' Beach I
saw two hoop snakes and they really did
hold the end of their tails in their mouths
while they rolled merrily along.
These snakes were about 18 inches long
and were covered with leaves and seaweed
which made them look like balls of seaweed
blowing toward me. The first one was
travelling about 10 feet ahead of the second.
" * y
when the first enc came within about
IS feet of where was it turned square
corner, rolled down to the waters edge,
turned its tail loose, raised up about "a of
its body, and let the water flow up under
it, then it lay out straight on the water
where all the seaweed melted of and it
swan away.
1.-THE second one was evidently following in
the tracks of the first. 1t even turned
square corner in the same spot where the
first one turned, went to the waters edge,
raised up its body, waited for the water to
come up under it, then it, too, swan away,
leaving its leaves and seaweed behind.
While these snakes were travelling
toward me they looked like balls of sea-
weed blowing along the beach, but after they
turned they looked like wreaths. The man
ner in which they propel themselves along
makes them look round when coming to-
ward one. The top center of the wreath
goes up and down with the same rhythm as
that made by child while pumping in a
swing. This up and down motion gives the
wreath a kidney shape and while this motion
is going on, the fore and hind parts of
the wreath are moving to the right and to,
the left alternately. that is, as the fore
part moves to the right the hind part moves
to the left, and vice versa.
IF you happen to be along the beaches In
the vicinity of Prince Frederick, Md, you,
! too, may see the hoop snakes If you give
close attention whenever YOU see two balls
OF seaweed blowing along at merry clip.
Especially if there is no breeze.
II hope that some one else who has seen
them will write IN about them because the
Encyclopedia Britannica also speaks sar-
castically of hoop snakes holding their tails
in their mouths.
II enjoy This and That very much. My
interest in wild life has been enriched and
uloduSllcu ny Tile ullOILldll0u nave gained
from your column.
Yours truly, AN. s."
- *.* xsa3 #8
Absurd" and superstition are the mild
est words authorities use in regard to the
hoop snake" so-called.
This idea, as shown above, dies hard.
1t is pleasant fancy, no less. if we can
believe the experts, and we should be able
to believe them. 3
Two species, Farancia abacura. and
AbaStor erythrogrammus, are the usual
"hoop snakes" The first is widely called "the
red-bellied snake
According to popular fantasy these snakes
do, indeed, take their tails in their mouths
and go a-rolling.
Experts tell us that the idea comes from
watching snakes go through the grass and
leaves. The typical colubrine motion may be
done so rapidly that the up-and-down
movements seem to the excited eve to be
circles, that is, the snake seemsHto have
its tail,in its mouth.
Nothing to it" the experts assure us.
The snakes are in no true sense hoops, or
even wreaths. NJ
They are just going along in typical snake
fashion. There is no more truth to the
idea, they assert, than to that other old
country superstition, that the milk snake
actually milks the cows. He does not. He
hangs around cows to pick up mice. And OF
course he will drink split milk. No one can
blame him for that.
Addenda, for L. A. c., about black snakes:
They are oviparous.