220 THE ADVENTURES OF A NATURE GUIDE 



is as safe sleeping in its territory as among tame 

 cats; and, he might have added, much less likely 

 to be disturbed. 



The fear of snakes, sharks, and devil-fish probably 

 has sentenced more people to close confinement 

 than is commonly known. It discourages views 

 afoot. The devil-fish has been the villain of ten 

 thousand adventure stories, yet it does not seek 

 human prey. The shark, too, is a magical find for 

 many an inaccurate scribbler. 



Snakes are not so big nor so bad nor so common 

 as nursery news proclaims. There are two evil 

 and impossible snake stories that appear to have 

 circulated for generations in Asia, Europe, Africa, 

 and America. At present they are infesting the 

 tourist routes in South America as thickly as 

 snakes a booze nightmare. One of these stories 

 has a snake so large that he swallows an ox, tail 

 foremost, and comes to grief when the long, out- 

 pointing horns are reached. This story is some- 

 times varied by describing a snake with the shoul- 

 ders, body, and horns of an ox, and a tail more than 

 one hundred feet long. The most stretched snake 

 skin ever exhibited was only twenty-five feet long. 



Some yeais ago an alleged sea serpent — made 

 in Germany — was exhibited to crowds in the capi- 

 tals of Europe. Taking the skull of one and most 

 of the bones of several ancient Zeuglodons, the in- 

 ventor multiplied the real length and exhibited the 

 combination as one 114-foot skeleton. Sea ser- 



