Vol. XXIV. No. 9.] 
POPULAR SCIENCE NEWS. 
135 
the old snake, and then, to our surprise, one of the 
little snakes crawled down the old snake's throat, 
the second one did the same, and the third would 
have followed if we had not interfered. — Edward 
L. Fox, Vice President Chapter 404, Baraboo, Wis., 
January, 1888. 
B. While walking in a vacant lot near my home, 
I started from a pile of leaves a garter-snake about 
fifteen inches long. A man who was working there 
struck the snake to kill it, when I saw four or five 
little snakes, about three inches in length, run out 
from its mouth into the grass. I was standing very 
near, and could not have been mistaken. — Kate 
Brower, Pittsfield, Mass., January, 1SS8. 
C. Papa says that about thirty-five years ago, in 
haying time, he cut a garter-snake with a scythe, 
and, seeing little snakes, he cut the mother clear 
open, and got seventy-four young ones. They were 
all about six inches long. They were not tangled, 
and tried to wiggle away, but the hot sun soon 
killed them. They were little garter-snakes. — Emma 
Heilman, Kittaning, Penn., July, 1888. 
D. When a child, I was running along a foot- 
path and came suddenly upon a snake, lying in the 
path, while five (I think) little snakes played around 
her. In my terror I sprang over the creatures, ran 
a few steps, and then turned to look behind. I 
turned in time to see the large snake open its 
mouth very wide, while the little ones, every one 
of them, ran down her throat. — Clara C. Smith, 
Berlin, Conn., August, i88S. 
E. Going along the bank of a creek in Moscow, 
Livingston Co., N. Y., I saw a black-snake about 
two feet long. As I approached I .saw a number 
of little silvery snakes squirming about, which, on 
my nearer approach, ran to their mother, who 
opened her mouth, down which they ran. I called 
to one of the farm-hands, who came and killed the 
snake, and then cut her open, whereupon at least a 
dozen little ones ran out. They were about the 
length of a lead-pencil, but not so large round. — 
J. S. Tryon, Jr., August, 1888. 
F. In 1883, while strolling through the woods on 
Grand Island, I came upon a number of what I 
supposed to be garter-snakes. As I raised my stick 
to kill one, which was about two feet long, it sud- 
denly opened its mouth, out of which crawled two 
small snakes, about six inches in length. I killed 
them both. — Edward Weber, Chapter 132, Buffalo, 
N. Y. 
These notes I reproduce here together, as intro- 
ductory to the following, which comes from another 
member, who wishes only initials given : 
A snake, to my mind, is not a pleasant thing to 
write about, but when we undertake to study the 
animal creation we must not be governed by antipa- 
thy or disgust. The ancient mythology found a 
symbol of eternity in the serpent, because, with its 
tail in its mouth, it represented endlessness; but to 
a child in modern days, a snake is the symbol 
of deadly venom, lying in flowery woods and shady 
lanes, and this feeling grows with our growth in 
many cases. This is no mere superstition, no mere 
legend; the snake is a horrible and deadly thing, 
although there are some harmless varieties. It is 
the symbol of venom and enmity to mankind. But 
in regard to the question. Do snakes swallow their 
young.' It was a tradition with our family when 
we were children that snakes swallowed their young 
for the purpose of taking them about with them. 
We were very much afraid of being suspected 
of falsehood by our parents, and therefore did not 
tell all the strange and marvellous things we saw in 
our rambles in the woods, for our parents knew how 
prone children are to dwell on the marvellous and 
draw on the imagination ; but we knew that little 
snakes were sometimes in the bodies of snakes that 
were killed. Our father was very careful in his 
observations and accurate in his statements. One 
day, when he returned from a walk, he said he had 
seen a strange thing : a large garter-snake was lying 
in his path through the woods, and near it were 
several little snakes, and while he stood looking 
and preparing to strike, the large snake opened its 
mouth and the little ones darted down its throat, 
after which it moved quickly away to a hiding-place. 
11. V. A. 
WANTED— ADVICE ABOUT TRAPS. 
Wycliffe College, Toronto. 
One division of the Pictou fauna to which I have 
never paid any attention, and which I should much 
like to study, is the mammalia. I thought to make 
a beginning last summer, but was stopped at the 
outset by the fact that, with the exception of the 
ubiquitous red squirrels and a common meadow- 
mouse or two, I could obtain no specimens. I 
made a few attempts with traps, but not even- a 
squirrel or a mouse deigned to enter one. I greatly 
wish that some practical student and collector 
of small mammals — such as are found in settled 
districts — would tell me through your columns how 
to collect specimens of mice, shrews, moles, chip- 
munks, flying-squirrels, weasles, woodchucks, bats, 
etc. I know of the existence of these creatures in 
Pictou by hearing about them from the country 
folk, and by seeing them skurry away from me now 
and then when I happen on them in the fields, 
or from seeing their mangled remains brought in 
by the dog or cat. Books on collecting seem to 
consider it sufficient to remark that most mammals 
must be trapped, but it is altogether beneath their 
dignity to mention details so trifling as the kind 
of traps to use, where to set them, or how to bait 
them. Yours sincerely, 
W. Sheraton. 
[Will some one kindly send us an answer.' — 
Editor.] 
*^*- 
A GOOD PLAN. 
The following programme, which Chapter 
21S, Cornwall, N. Y., has followed during 
its summer meetings, combining each week a 
formal paper, a discussion of notes of per- 
.sonal observation, and a session of united 
laboratory work, is helpful and suggestive : 
PROGRAMME OF STUDY FOR JULY. 
July 3. — Papers" Mountiiin Formations in Vicinity." 
• Note-books — Observations from Nature. 
Special Study — Single-celled Animals, 
July ID. — Paper — " I.ocal Glacial Phenomena." 
Note-books — Observations. 
Special Study — Sponges. 
July 17. — Paper — " Fossil F'ormations in Vicinity." 
Note-books — Observations. 
Special Study — Corals. 
July 24. — Paper — *' Magnetite Iron Mines in Vicinity." 
Note-books — Observations. 
Special Study — Starfishes. 
SOUTHERN INSECTS. 
I WISH to exchange insects found in this 
vicinity for minerals. — C. M. Clark, Savan- 
nah, Ga. 
*•» 
EXCELLENT CHAPTER WORK. 
351, Newark, N. J., [B]. — Our President is Prof 
George C. Sonn. The Chapter has increased from 
sixteen to two hundred. These are divided into 
four sections. The first has taken geology, and is 
now taking chemistry ; the second is taking physics ; 
and the third and fourth have taken physical geogra- 
phy, and are now taking physiology. All have 
weekly meetings. The. four sections have a joint 
meeting once a month. There have also been formed 
from the Chapter sections for the study of botany 
and mineralogy. During the summer many iron 
mines were visited, such as the Andover, Glendon, 
Willis, Old and New Gen. Dickerson, Byram, and 
others. All these are in Morris County, and the 
members had their headquarters at Mount Tabor. 
We also visited Tourne Mountain. Since Septem- 
ber we have had a phonographic entertainment and 
a lecture by Mr. Hammer, Mr. Edison's representa- 
tive at the Paris Exposition. Qiiite a number were 
at the joint New York and New Jersey Assembly. 
We also went to Schuyler copper mine, at Bellville, 
N. J., with the "Hill and Dale Club" on April 5th. 
All the meetings are well attended, and all the sec- 
tions report good progress. — John D. Fitz-Gerald, 
Jr., Sec. 
397, New York, N. Y., [H]. — Our meetings are 
held fortnightly, the time being devoted to perform- 
ing experiments by each member in turn, following 
the arrangement of "William's Laboratory Manual 
of General Chemistry." Every fourth meeting is 
devoted to the examination of mineral specimens, a 
certain number of them being placed on a table, to 
be examined and classified by their physical proper- 
ties. We are allowed the use of the school labora- 
tory and geological cabinet. Our active membership 
is limited by vote to ten, our ranks being full at 
present with students of the two upper forms of the 
school. We take the Popular Science News, and 
are much pleased to have for our paper one which is 
especially devoted to our chosen branch — chemistry. 
We should be pleased to exchange methods of work 
and organization with other school Chapters. — H. 
Tiedemann, Sec. ; Dr. C. E. Moore, Pres. Perma- 
nent address, Agassiz Chapter, Columbia Grammar 
School, 34 East 51st Street, New York City. 
■ *^t- 
This is an excellent time for organizing 
new Chapters of the Agassiz Association. 
All are invited, young and old. Circulars 
and full details free. To every Chapter 
organized during September, and mentioning 
this offer, one of our beautiful engraved 
charters, with portrait of Agassiz, will be 
sent free. The usual price is seventy-five 
cents. Address all communications to Mr. 
H. H. Ballard, Pittsfield, Mass. 
[Written for "The Out-Door World."] 
ABOUT GRASSES. 
BY ALFRED H. PETERS, 
0/ the Agassiz Association, 
A VERY wise countryman of ours once said that 
"the first care of a man settling in the country 
should be to open the face of the earth by a little 
knowledge of nature — or a great deal if he can — 
of birds, plants, rocks, and astronomy; in short, the 
art of taking a walk." There is scarcely any intelli- 
gent country boy to whose understanding, as regards 
the first three of these, the face of earth is not, in a 
measure, open. He knows by sight, if not always 
by name, the greater part of the birds, beasts, rep- 
tiles, and insects found in his neighborhood. He 
can tell the difference between lime, slate, flint, and 
granite. He knows by their familiar names almost 
every tree and shrub, and, with the exception of one 
order, of the more common sorts of herbs. But 
of one order not only he, but his father, and probably 
his sister who has studied botany, will generally be 
