Handling Snakes. 



After the first handling, most snakes are quite docile, as long as they 

 are not squee::cd. The chief trick in handling a snake is to support, but not 

 grasp, it. If it is active, it should be allowed to pass from one hand to the other. 

 A snake should not be teased for, like a dog, it may become irritable and 

 untrustworthy. 



Identification of snakes. 



Scale arrangement, especially on the head, offers the surest method of 

 identification. The diagrams show the names and positions of the head scales. 

 The body scales must also be counted, at times. Care should be taken to select 

 a region about the middle of the body for counting the number of scale rows, 

 as tapering toward the neck and tail region is usually accompanied by the 

 dropping out of a few rows of scales. The count should be begun at the first 

 scale above the broad ventral plates, and carried along the diagonal across 

 the dorsal region to the opposite side. The suhcaudal plates are often in pairs, 

 in which case the count is still made from anus to tail tip, each pair therefore 

 counting as one. 



The color pattern is less reliable, but considerably more readily observed, 

 especially on living, active specimens. Markings on the head and neck are 

 often helpful and more constant than those on the back. For example, the 

 lack of markings on top of the head of the copperhead sets it apart from the 

 milk snake, which is often mistaken for it. In the United States the length' 

 wise striped snakes are not poisonous, but more caution should be observed in 

 handling barred or blotched ones. It must be remembered that occasional 

 black or very light specimens of any species, including the poisonous ones, may 

 he found, and also that the pattern becomes very much obscured as a snake 

 reaches the time when its skin is about to be shed. The pattern changes with 

 age in some species. 



Total length is the straight distance from the end of the snout to the tip 

 of the tail. Length of tail is measured from the anus to the tip of the tail. 



Keeping snakes. 



Snakes can be kept in simple cages, but these should be clean and dry. 

 A dish of water should be available, and a rock or other rough object should 

 be provided, against which the reptile can rub itself to relieve irritations or aid 

 in shedding its skin. The cage must be covered, since most snakes can reach 

 surprisingly high and pull themselves out of any box, once they get their chins 

 over the top. Ventilation should be provided by some such means as tacking 

 strong screen wire over suitable openings. Some snakes, such as the black snake, 

 can deliver surprisingly strong blows with the head, and may break ordinary 

 window glass. They can also exert much lifting power, and will raise an un' 



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