122 



A common belief is that when a gun or pistol is pointed toward 

 a snake, the reptile puts its head in such a position as to draw the 

 "bead" or line of sight to its own head, and thus it is thought to 

 be impossible to shoot at a serpent which sees the weapon without 

 hitting it. This is false, as we have seen demonstrated. Also it 

 is commonly said that it is impossible to shoot a snake in any 

 part excepting the head, on account of the common belief that the 

 eye of the reptile keeps in line with the sites of the weapon. We 

 have known where rattlers and other serpents have been shot 

 through the body and not through the head, and this proves the 

 error of another myth. 



It is also commonly said that the yellow color of the Rattle 

 Snake denotes a female individual, while the black color always 

 indicates a male. Our dissections have proven that this is not 

 always the case, although these colors appear to predominate or 

 be more common in each sex respectively. 



From ancient times until the present there has been a common 

 saj'ing that snakes can be made to throw out their legs by dropping 

 them into a fire. This is purely a myth and without any other foun- 

 dation than the probability that the sudden contraction of the 

 muscles of the body may force out certain internal organs. 



We have recently 'earned that there is a common saying in the 

 northern part of the State that if a rattle snake or a copper head 

 be deprived of water for six days they will lose their venom, or in 

 other words their poison becomes ineffective. There is no truth in 

 this for the tendency would be to make the poison stronger rather 

 than less efficient. 



There is a general belief in the medicinal qualities of certain 

 parts of snakes. It is enough to say that these are founded in 

 sui)erstition, and that no part of any serpent has any medicinal 

 value. Nevertheless we frequently hear of a person recommending 

 l^uch remedies as the gall of a snake for snake bite; its oil for 

 rheumatism, baldness and deafness; and its skin to be worn lik(^ 

 the skin of an eel for similar troubles. It is a remarkable fact 

 that in some parts of this State the oil of snakes has a very high 

 commercial value for its su])i)()sed curative qualities. It is thought 

 to be a sovereign remedy for deafness, but there is no reason why 

 this is any better than any other oil. We have recently learned 

 of the heart of a Rattle Snake being swallowed while fresh for 

 consumption, and the flesh and blood have been recommended for 

 certain ills. It is also generally believed, not only in America but 

 in other parts of the earth that if a snake can be made to bite a 

 second time in the same ])lace it will, by so doing, cure the ills 

 inflicted by its first bite. This is, of course, nonsense, as are the 



