412 NATURE STUDY AND LIFE 



overlapping scales. Very few are found farther north 

 than Pennsylvania, being chiefly tropical or subtropical in 

 distribution. They are insectivorous, and in the Southern 

 States, where they abound, valuable feeding tests may be 

 made as suggested for toads, frogs, and birds. The manner 

 of catching insects with their long tongues is interesting, 

 as are also the rapid changes of color of several species. 



Snakes. — Many of the common species are among our 

 most beautiful animals. A strange fascination seems to 

 attach to them, which is almost certain to result in their 

 intrusion into the nature-study course whether the teacher 

 wishes it or not. The fear of anything is a heavy burden 

 to carry through life. The lurking fear of something that 

 we are likely to meet in our daily walks in the fields or 

 woods may spoil much of our enjoyment in nature or, at 

 least, hem us in on every side. If for no other reason 

 than to cast out this fear, we may introduce a reasonable 

 study of these animals. 



While some may be inclined to consider the fear of snakes heredi- 

 tary, it may quite as well be explained as a matter of suggestion. 

 The fact, to which my own experience attests in many instances, 

 that it can be thrown off by a moment's exercise of the will, and 

 also the fact that children who have never been frightened by the 

 fears of others may show no traces of it, render this explanation 

 the more reasonable. My own children, for example, have always 

 handled and played with our harmless little snakes as freely as with 

 kittens. A single concrete instance will make my meaning clear. 

 I was demonstrating our common green snake, when one of the 

 members of the class asked if I would hold it while she touched it. 

 After touching it she asked if she could take it in her hands. A 

 year or two afterwards she referred to the circumstance and said that 

 she had never since felt the least aversion for snakes but had thor- 

 oughly enjoyed studying them. She expressed her thanks for being 



