Snakes and Frogs and Their Relatives [ 207 



the observer sees are merely markings; the eyes are at the sides 

 of the head, little of which is visible when the hood is open. It 

 is a mistake to think that cobras can be identified by the erection 

 of the hood; other snakessuch as the harmless hognose snake- 

 possess the same ability. 



While people most frequently think of India as the home of 

 cobras, these snakes also dwell in Africa. The king cobra, which 

 may grow as long as eighteen feet, is the largest venomous snake 

 known. It is very aggressive and its poison is deadly. The common 

 Indian cobra, which rarely attains a length of more than six feet, 

 also causes many deaths every year. 



Some Common Harmless Snakes 



THE GARTER SNAKE 



We have many kinds of garter snakes in the United States 

 and they are well distributed all over the country. The "common" 

 variety (often called the garden snake) is found in the eastern 

 states up into Canada. You cannot be sure of recognizing it by 

 its color, which varies in different individuals. 



The ground or major body color may be olive, brown, or 

 black. There is usually a stripe of yellow, green, or whitish hue 

 down the center of the back. Along each side is a similar stripe, 

 subdued in tone, which may be broken up into spots. The under- 

 side is greenish white or yellow. A full-grown specimen is about 

 thirty inches long. 



Where Garter Snakes Are Found: You are most likely to come 

 upon garter snakes in summer along the banks and edges of 

 streams where their favorite foods toads, frogs, earthworms, and 

 insects are plentiful. In the fall they are likely to gather on 

 rocky ledges or stony hillsides. Here each finds a crevice or makes 

 a burrow, which may extend more than a yard underground, 

 where it sleeps through the cold weather. 



HOGNOSE SNAKES HAM ACTORS 



The garter snake and the hognose snake both make excel- 

 lent pets though the hognose variety has bluffed its way into a 



