56 
and about midway of the body with the other, 
thus preventing it from biting or using its pow- 
ers of constriction. The common snakes that 
are not over a foot in length when full grown, 
do not attempt to bite and can be handled with 
impunity, fearless of injury. 
Though a wound of any character is to be 
avoided, yet the bite of one of our common 
snakes is really insignificant, as there is no se- 
cretion of venom in the jaws of our innocuous 
snakes. However, as it is not at all impossible 
to handle our harmless species of snakes with- 
out fear of their bites, it is still unwise to be 
careless in securing specimens. You know, my 
Fritz, that some persons are very susceptible to 
poisonous influences. What would be but a 
mere scratch to one individual might prove a 
serious wound to another, whose physical con- 
dition was exceedingly sensitive to the slightest 
presence of poison associated with a bite in- 
flicted by even a non-venomous snake. To il- 
lustrate my point, I may carelessly capture a 
large specimen of harmless snake, irritate it 
and receive a severe bite from the sharp teeth 
of my prize. Now suppose the snake thus 
captured had but lately enjoyed a hearty meal 
of natural prey, and as a natural and very 
reasonable proposition, the saliva of the snake 
and the blood of its victim freely flowing 
while the snake was gorging its meal were 
dried and decomposed about the teeth of the 
snake at the time it inflicted the wound. If 
