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pents wrap themselves around the necks of human beings and 

 choke them. All stories of this kind, so far as we have been able 

 to learn by the most careful investigation, are the results of active 

 imaginations. Even the stories of snakes chasing people are, as a 

 rule, generallj^ exaggerated. It is true that blaeksnakes will some- 

 times pursue timid persons who have disturbed them. That seems 

 to be one of Nature's bluffs however, as the same reptiles will turn 

 tail and depart in the most vigorous manner possible, when the 

 pursued person has the courage to turn on it. Even if they do chase 

 a person, they will not overtake nor attack him. 



Among the myths must be classed the common belief that snakes 

 milk or suck cows. This feat is not possible, and in our honest 

 opinion never was performed. A recent newspaper article gave 

 the name of a Connecticut farmer who was reported as having seen 

 the Milk Bnake sucking his cattle. We wrote to him for details, 

 and he replied "A reporter lied about me." 



How common is the absurd belief that a snake's tail does not 

 die until sundown or until it thunders! When we were at home 

 with the country boys we firmly believed with them that to kill a 

 snake and turn it upside down would bring rain. Who knows other 

 beliefs of this kind which they are willing to mail to us for our col- 

 lection of literary curiosities? 



Another popular erroneous belief is that snakes jump or spring 

 from the ground at their victims. No snake is able to jump or 

 spring but merely strikes from its zigzag coil, which is like the 

 letter "S" placed horizontally. It can then only reach the distance 

 that it is able to strike out from this double curve, which is rarely 

 more than half the length of its body, and probably never more than 

 three-fourths of its total length. No snake springs clear from the 

 ground as it strikes, and none jumps through the air to its victim, 

 although occasionally the blow may be delivered with such force 

 as to turn the reptile over. 



It is also believed by some persons that serpents coil in a regular 

 manner, like the coil of a rope, and strike from such a coil. We 

 have seen mounted specimens and drawings representing snakes 

 coiled like a rope and ready to strike at their supposed victims, but 

 these do not represent the truth. If a serpent should attempt to 

 strike ffom a uniform coil, like a pile of rope, it would be obliged 

 to turn over as many times as it was coiled, in order to make a 

 straight line to the intended victim. While reptiles do coil par- 

 tially, they keep the front part of the body free for striking from 

 a zigzag or horizontal letter "S" position. It should also be remem- 

 bered that no serpent can strike while stretched out or in an ex- 

 tended position. 



