468 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [Dec., '08 



widespread, was the fable of the "Hoss Hair Snake." We 

 often came upon the snakes, as they were called, in little 

 puddles of water left by the rain or in watering troughs and 

 sometimes in spring houses. We were told that they were 

 originally hairs from the mane or tail of the horse, and some 

 persons declared that these wriggling creatures were also pro- 

 duced from human hair. The bite of the hair snake was said 

 to be very dangerous to man and was likely to cause the loss 

 of the member bitten. One species of hair worm which is 

 white in color, and is sometimes found in cabbage heads is 

 reputed by the country people to be very poisonous. Prof. 

 Surface has been called upon a number of times to refute 

 this fallacy which seems to be a common one in some parts 

 of Pennsylvania. An excellent article on this species is Mr. 

 F. H. Chittenden's treatise published as Circular No. 2. of 

 the U. S. Bureau of Entomology. I shall not forget my first 

 attempt to rear a hair snake. Taking a long horse hair. I placed 

 it in a pail of spring water and set the same in the sun as 

 per directions, where it was to remain for seven days, no 

 more, no less ; visiting it daily, my hopes gradually sank until 

 the seventh day, when I took it out, examined it, and while 

 limp and wet, never a wriggle or squirm could I get it to make, 

 it was still a horse hair and nothing more. 



When I related my experience to the initiated, the oracle 

 informed me that "O 1 course ye can's make no 'boss' hair 

 snake out of a hair that hain't got no roots on it; what ye 

 wanter do is to pull one out by the roots and put it in the 

 water right off, then ye'll git a boss hair snake sure." Alas 

 for the credulity and the credibility of man ! I was again 

 doomed to disappointment, for on the sixth day there was no 

 change in the hair and on the morning of the seventh day 

 when I looked, behold some thirsty creature had drunk three- 

 fourths of the water including the hair. And it was some years 

 later that I first read of the natural history of the hair worm 

 or Gordius. 



Dr. Jos. Leidy of Philadelphia, published in the Entomolo- 

 gist and Botanist, 1870, Vol. Ill, No. 7, a partial life history 



