84 
“Ts not the spreading adder frequently mis- 
taken for the deadly copper head ?” 
“Yes, my Fritz, because of its vicious be- 
havior when irritated, and its fancied resem- 
blance to the venomous copper head, the — 
farmers kill it under the erroneous impression 
that they are destroying a death dealing ser- 
pent. This is a serious mistake as the spread- 
ing adder is not only absolutely harmless, but 
it is a valuable adjunct to the farm and garden. 
You know, my Fritz, that no one has a greater 
need of knowledge of Nature than the farmer, 
as he frequently kills his best friends among 
the lower animals through ignorance of their 
true life habits. 
The spreading adder is a most interesting 
pet, because, though most vicious of all our 
common snakes in behavior, yet it is positively 
harmless, and can be handled with impunity’” 
THE BLACK SNAKE. 
“The truly representative species of our com- 
mon snakes is the black snake, my Fritz. The 
black snake—Bascanium constrictor—is ex- 
ceedingly graceful in form, swift as thought in 
its movements, fearlessly irritable in temper, 
and a most interesting subject for study. 
The body of this snake is comparatively 
slight, tapering gracefully towards the fine 
point of its prehensile tail. The general color 
