VIPERS AND SNAKES GENERALL K. 



hatched by means independent of 

 themselves. It would be impossible 

 for such a tiny creature to move 

 about on the rough ground old 

 snakes go over. Sometimes it 

 might be to protect them from the 

 weather, or carry them off in time 

 of danger. The brown snake, 

 killed in my presence, could not 

 have been influenced by fear, for 

 there had been none near her when 

 suddenly approached by myself and 

 friend, and particularly as she was 

 basking, as I have said, on the top 

 of a low stone wall, where it was 

 apparently impossible for the young 

 ones to get, unless taken there in- 

 side of the mother. In a state of 

 captivity, the snake can have no 

 apparent incentive to take her 

 young inside of her. Although 

 the neck of a snake is narrow, it 

 has an immense power of disten- 

 sion when gradually swallowing its 

 prey, while retaining its powers of 

 breathing. The female has doubt- 

 less peculiarities given her by na- 

 ture for taking her young down her 

 throat and keeping them alive there- 

 Once down, her great distension of 

 body furnishes them with an excel- 

 lent place of safety. It has often 

 been observed that snakes of a size 

 not likely to be able to take care of 

 themselves are seldom or never 

 seen. 



Some of your readers may not be 

 aware that snakes (some species at 

 least) shed their skins late in the 

 spring or early in the summer, 

 although it is not known that every 

 snake gets a new coat every year.* 

 On the place on Long Island men- 

 tioned, where the brown snakes 

 were very numerous, I came across 

 a skin that had been shed appar- 

 ently the previous year, as it was 

 considerably weather - beaten and 

 dilapidated; but a few days after- 

 wards (about the end of May), I 



* All snakes doubtless shed their 

 skins once a year ; some people say 

 oftener, with some species. 



found a beautiful specimen, soft and 

 complete, including even the cover- 

 ing of the eyes in short, a com- 

 plete snake, barring the animal in- 

 side. Indeed, I thought it was a 

 snake till it did not move, when I 

 approached it considerately, and be- 

 fore touching it, carefully exam- 

 ined how it could have wriggled 

 itself so completely out of its skin. 

 I found that it had caught itself a 

 little below the head (or shoulders, 

 if I may so express myself) on a 

 knot on the stem of a small but 

 stout dry weed of the previous 

 year's growth. I gave it to the per- 

 son who killed the snake containing 

 the young ones, on his going to vis- 

 it his friends in Scotland, to show 

 it to them, and keep for the pur- 

 pose (as he said) of wrapping it 

 round any gathering, to bring it to 

 a head. Although a fine, it was not 

 a large specimen. 



I may add by way of P. S., by an- 

 other mail, that I yesterday met a 

 very intelligent man, long a farmer 

 in Illinois, who, on being asked 

 generally, "What about snakes?" 

 informed me very fully in regard to 

 them, and exactly as I have written. 

 He says that he has often seen 

 them, of various species, swallow 

 their young, and that it is a very 

 interesting sight. So quickly is it 

 done, that it somewhat resembles a 

 continuous glistening string passing 

 into the mother's mouth. He says 

 it takes place on the approach of 

 wet weather and danger, and, as he 

 supposes, when the snake wishes to 

 "locomote." We see in this an 

 amazing adaptation of means to an 

 end, perhaps as wonderful a one 

 as is to be found in natural history. 

 For, when the snake goes to where 

 she deposited her eggs to begin her 

 maternal duties proper, and, in all 

 probability, at the moment of hatch- 

 ing, she would be absolutely unable 

 to take care of, perhaps, twenty 

 helpless creatures, emerging from 

 eggs about an inch in length, laid 

 by a snake about three feet long, if 



