REPTILIAN LIVERIES 175 



these large meals so characteristic of the snake dietary 

 mean large prey, which can only be overmastered by the 

 deadly poison fangs. These, in the young snake, are only 

 in process of development, and not until the fangs and 

 their poison are ready is the lure dropped. 



The pit-vipers are among the most deadly and most 

 dreaded of venomous snakes, and hence where these 

 abound even bites from harmless snakes arouse terror 

 in the person bitten. A good story illustrating this fact 

 is told by Colonel IngersoU, of " Mrs. Tom Murphy," who 

 lived in a log cabin in the woods about a- mile up Black 

 Creek. " Wan day," as she told the listener, " I stepped 

 out o' my door and there, on the top of a rock ferninst 

 the well lay a pilot [the copper-head or red-adder], all 

 curled up, and the childers all playing close by without a 

 wan of 'em noticin' the baste. I let a yeU out o' me, and 

 I picked up the first thing handy, a shovel, 'n whacked the 

 shnake over the head, 'n he sthruck me hand, an' I knew 

 thin I was gone. I threw the baste into the brush, and 

 then called the childers 'n run into the cabin. I was wantin' 

 to die as daysint as may be, and I wint and lay down on 

 the bed, biddin' the childers all good-bye and lavin' word 

 for 'em for the ould man at his wurrk in the ice-house. 

 Thin I sint 'em all out again so they shouldn't see me in 

 me agonies. I lay there all straight out, as if I was a 

 corpse at a foine wake wid me hands folded proper, awaitin' 

 to die, and wanst in a while the young wans 'd come and 

 say : ' Are ye dead yit. Mamma ? '"'nd I'd say ' Not yit.' 

 And — wad ye belave it ? — I lay there more'n two hours, 

 composin' meself and praying to the Virgin, and I niver 

 died wanst ! Thin I said to meself : ' It's an ould fool 

 ye are, Mrs. Murphy,' and I got up." 



