Teachers' Leaflet. 591 



teacher was wise and she saiJ., " There are many interesting things to be 

 discovered about snakes ; we will send to the library for books and find 

 out all we can about them." This was the beginning of a nature-study 

 club, which was one of the most efficient and enterprising that the editor 

 has ever had the pleasure of visiting. 



Preliminary ivork. — First of all the teacher should correct many errors of 

 common belief about snakes; First that all snakes are venomous; most of them 

 are harmless and many of them beiificial to the farmer. In New York State only 

 rattlesnakes are poisonous, and they have been exterminated in all localities except 

 in some mountain districts. Second: If a snake is killed its tail will live until 

 sundown. There is no truth in this superstition, except that snakes being lower 

 in their nervous organization than mammals, the process of death is a slow one. 

 Third: Snakes spring or jump from the ground to seize their prey. No snake 

 jumps clear of the ground as it strikes nor does it spring from a perfect coil. 

 Fourth : That snakes are slimy ; quite to the contrary, for they are covered 

 with perfectly dr}' scales. Fifth : That thrusting out a forked tongue is the act of 

 animosity ; the tongue is a sense organ, and is used as an insect uses its feelers or 

 antennje, and it is also supposed to aid the creature in hearing. So when a snake 

 thrusts out its tongue it is simply trying to find out about its surroundings and 

 what is going on. Sixth : That snakes milk cows. This is an utter impossibility 

 for the snake's mouth is such a shape that it could not possibly suck a cow. 



There are also other interesting facts about snakes which the teacher should 

 tell to the pupils : Snakes are the only creatures able to swallow objects which are 

 larger around than themselves. This is rendered possible by the elasticity of the 

 body walls, and the fact that snakes have an extra bone hinging the upper to 

 the lower jaw, which allows them to separate widely. Also the lower jaw separates 

 at the middle of its front edge and spreads apart sidewise. The teeth point back- 

 ward so as to assist in swallowing. Some snakes simply chase their prey striking 

 at it and catching it in the open mouth, while others wind themselves about their 

 prej^ crushing it to death. The black snake has this latter habit. The snake moves 

 literally by walking on the ends of its ribs, which connect with the crosswise plates 

 on the lower side of the creature ; each of these crosswise plates has a hind edge 

 projecting down so that it holds to an object. All these are worked by the mechan- 

 ism of the ribs. As snakes grow they shed their skins ; this occurs only two or 

 three times a year. Snakes can live a long time without food ; many instances have 

 been known where they were able to exist a year or more without anything to 

 eat. In this climate they hibernate in the winter going to sleep as soon as the 

 weather gets cold and not waking up until spring. 



LESSON LI. 

 THE GARTER OR GARDEN SNAKE. 



Purpose. — To make the pupils familiar with the habits of this most 

 common and quite inoffensive snake. 



This is the most common snake in New York State and may be found 

 almost anywhere in the cotmtry. It varies much in color; the ground 

 color may be olive, brown or black. Down the center of the back is 

 usually a yellow, green or whitish stripe usually bordered by a darker 

 band of the ground color. On each side is a similar stripe, but not so 



