A SUCCESSFUL SNAKE HUNT 



Photograph by Gayne T. K. Norton. 



MEMBERS OF THE DITMARS CLUB OF THE REPTILE STUDY SOCIETY WHO TOOK PART IN 



THE FIRST FORMAL HUNT. 



Nine snakes, representing three species, and a number of frogs, turtles and salamanders were captured. 

 The seven snakes shown in the illustration are from private collections and perfect exhibition specimens. 



The Director, Alien Samuel Williams, kneeling at right, is justly famous as an all-round outdoor man 

 and writer. 



unlocked his grips. The white speci- 

 men bags were drawn forth and eager 

 hands were outstretched as the strings 

 were removed. In quick succession 

 seven perfect specimens were appor- 

 tioned about the group: a bull, a pine, 

 a boa, a red bellied, a king, a garter and 

 a ribbon. 



It began to look as though the hunt 

 were over, so reluctantly were the pets 

 given up. But we got under way final- 

 ly, after christening an unresponsive 

 turtle Desdemona. Almost immediate- 

 ly another water snake was found but 

 it escaped. 



The most exciting capture was made 

 by a boy. Air. Williams and the lad 

 saw Natrix jasciata sipedon — the correct 

 name of our common water snake — 

 and it immediately chose to escape be- 

 tween Mr. Williams's, legs. Like a 

 good Scout, young Ogden grabbed the 

 reptile and held it, though bitten, and 

 the largest snake of the day was sub- 

 dued. (The danger was nil. We knew 

 our country and all its snakes. Where 

 poisonous snakes are likely to be en- 

 countered, no chances are taken.) 

 During the remainder of the day speci- 

 mens came fast, some bv stick, most bv 

 hand, some nine in all and representing 

 three species. 



George Von Buehren, herpetologist, 

 brought some snakes from his private 

 collection and gave a demonstration 

 of forcible feeding. An informal hun- 

 ter and guest was Hudson Hawley, a 



reporter on the staff of "the New York 

 Sun," assigned to the hunt by his city 

 editor. At best Hawley was diffident 

 though enthusiastic ; he enrolled. A 

 motion picture camera man was chas- 

 ing us in a little Ford, but, unfortunate- 

 ly, did not find us. Several New York 

 papers printed stories of the hunt ; it 

 created quite a stir, and much publicity 

 is promised for the next "outing." 



The Reptile Study Society, though 

 young, is already national, having 

 clubs in many states and members of 

 national note. Its purpose is to save 

 the snakes. 



A Good Joke on a Money Handler. 



One of the most efficient men that 

 stand behind cash windows in a promi- 

 nent bank in Stamford caught the gar- 

 den fever, but his fancy did not run 

 altogether to vegetables. Having a 

 taste for the beautiful, he put in a lib- 

 eral supply of bulbs and wondered why 

 they were so slow in doing something. 

 After waiting for two or three weeks, 

 he investigated them with a spade, and 

 found that they were growing but it 

 was taking them some time to over- 

 come the curvature necessitated be- 

 cause they had been planted wrong side 

 up. The genial banker said, "There is 

 something to be gained anyway." He 

 had the fun of planting them all over 

 again at the expense of only one set of 

 bulbs and, after all, it is the planting 

 that counts nowadays. 



