THE OUTDOOR WORLD 



201 



that there are three or four for which 

 this much dreaded ophidian is famous. 

 In the first place when we meet with it 

 in nature or elsewhere and attempt to 

 pick it up, or even get too close to his 

 snakeship, it has a way of throwing it- 

 self in a sort of a capital letter S shape, 

 then flattening itself out, especially its 

 cephalic third, and giving vent to a loud 

 and rather ominous hiss or forcible 

 expiration. At the same time it will 

 tightly curl up the extreme end of its 

 tail — in fact, curl and uncurl it in a 

 nervous sort of a way. Finally, if the 

 snake is found hy one who knows it, 

 knows that it is a harmless species, and 

 picks it up and handles it at all roughly, 

 or in a too familiar manner, it will 

 feign death completely, and cannot, 

 even when severely tortured, be made 

 to show any sign of life again. 



The snout of this snake is sharp and 

 turned upward, and the appendage as- 

 sists it in its burrowing propensities. 

 Even when fully adult, it varies greatly 

 in the matter of color, though, as a 

 rule, it is generally of a yellowish 

 brown with irregular cross-bands of a 

 darker tint or even deep black ; other 

 specimens are brightly colored with red 

 and yellow; finally, there is a wholly 

 black variety, which is an entirely dif- 

 ferent looking snake (H. p. Niger.) It 

 is impossible to convince ignorant peo- 

 ple of the harmless nature of this 

 handsome and interesting reptile, 

 which they have christened with such 

 suspicious names as the "blowing 

 viper," the "spreading adder" and the 

 "flat-headed adder". Whether the 

 young of the black variety are black 

 when hatched, I do not know, as I 

 have never had the opportunity to as- 

 certain. 



What interested me was the fact 

 that the young one in my possession 

 possessed in a marked degree each and 

 all of the habits above referred to as 

 pertaining to the adult snake, — even to 

 the matter of feigning death. The 

 markings, however, were quite differ- 

 ent and far more beautiful in some re- 

 spects. They probably simulate those 

 of the ancestral form of this species, 

 and the two elongated spots on the fore 

 part of the neck next to the head are 

 significant. 



When I first glanced at this young 

 snake I thought it was a young 

 "copperhead," and so declined to pick 

 it up, but the moment I saw it assume 

 the attitude it exhibits in the cut, I 

 took it in my hand without hesitation. 

 Not only that, but it satisfied me at 

 once as to the species it was, which is 

 something of no little importance to a 

 naturalist. 



So much for our example, or as far 

 as I can carry it at this time, but it 

 must be remembered, that this is by no 

 means all the subject has for us. The 

 study, close study, of the habits of 

 the young, and even other characters 

 in regard to them, as compared with 

 the behavior and corresponding char- 

 acters in the adults of the species, will 

 throw a powerful light on biological 

 evolution, on phylogeny, on ontogeny, 

 on the history of the species in time, 

 and much else of the utmost impor- 

 tance to the science. 



The Gift of Mrs. Russell Sage. 



Mrs. Russell Sage has given to the 

 National Association of Audubon So- 

 cieties $500 to start a special fund to be 

 used for the protection of the robin. 

 A few days later she also contributed 

 $5,000 to be used in pushing the work 

 of the Association in the Southern 

 states, and at the same time expressed 

 her deep concern that the robin, which 

 is legally regarded as a game bird in 

 some of the states, should be given 

 adequate protection. As Mrs. Sage 

 further states that she will provide 

 $5,000 annually for the next two years, 

 it means that the Association will be 

 enabled to institute and conduct a vig- 

 orous campaign for bird-protection 

 over a large territory, heretofore but 

 scantily reached. 



By these magnificent contributions 

 to the work of saving the wild birds 

 of America, Mrs. Sage has won the 

 gratitude of untold thousands of bird 

 and nature lovers throughout the coun- 

 try.— T. G. P. in "Bird Lore." 



Our American life still needs, beyond 

 all things else, the more habitual culti- 

 vation of out-door habits. — Thomas 

 Wentworth Higginson. 



