I8 4 



CONCERNING SNAKES. 



" Yes; he is one of the worst known. How many orders are there of serpents, 

 Dick ? " 



" About a thousand, I believe, which is just a thousand too many." 

 " Do you know of any method of telling whether the wound of a snake is poison- 

 ous, since you cannot always identify the species by its appearance ? " 



" If the wound consists of numerous punctured orifices placed in two curved 

 lines, the snake-bite is harmless, but when there are only two punctures, you may 

 make up your mind that it is a venomous snake that has inflicted them, though 

 there are some harmless ones whose two long fangs are not perforated in front." 

 " How many species are there of the viperida family ? " 



"About twenty-two; 

 all have a single per- 

 forated tooth on each 

 side of the upper jaw, 

 and belong to the East- 

 ern Hemisphere, espe- 

 cially in Africa." 



" Yes," said Mr. God- 

 kin, " it was one of that 

 species which is cred- 

 ited with causing the 

 death of Cleopatra. The 

 horned snake of Egypt 

 is one of the most re- 

 markable species." 



"I saw a specimen in 

 Mr Barnum's museum. 

 A little horny spur pro- 

 jects above the eye, and 

 the snake was about two 

 feet long, with a sandy 

 red color and irregular 

 brownish markings. They are very fond of the heat, and will luxuriate in the flam- 

 ing sands of the desert, where almost any other creature would die." 



" The European species is the only venomous reptile found in Great Britain, 

 and even that is not very dangerous. So that England is more favored in the 

 respect you name than are the United States, while Ireland is ahead of every other 

 country. Speaking of the rattlesnake, however, can you tell me of how many species 

 the crotalida family consists? I will let Bob answer, if he pleases." 



"About forty pit vipers," replied the lad with a laugh, for he, too, had studied 

 the subject quite fully, " so called from having a deep pit on the side of the snout 

 They are absent from Europe, Africa, and Australia, but are plentiful in America, 

 and of course, some of them are found in Asia and the East Indies." 



THE COBRA DH CAPBLLO. 



