Hunters in southern States have founc that leather leggzinzgs af 
ient protection against the bites of poisonous snakes, anc a sp 
suisic r 
constructcd boot, with a shank including several layers of fabric, used by 
qu2il hunters in Florida, is a perfect protcction for the parts it covers. 
Fall information about poisonous sn2kes and methods of treating 
their bites is contained in Leaflet 38-70, "Poisonous Snakes of the United 
States" (see footnote, page 1). 
Sugeestions for Snake-Proofing a Building 
Waen snakes gain eccess to a dvuilding, the doors and windows of which 
are screened, there must be crevices in the walls, foundation, or floor. 
In such cases all openings in the floor, weather-boarding, sills, foundca- 
tions, and around fireplaces ané@ chimneys should be sought end carefully 
Closee as Ifa building can be surrounded by a fairly deep vertical— 
siced trench with no bridges over it, snakes will be excluded, but in 
ordinary soils such a trench will not longs retain its effectivencsse A 
permanent concrete moat would in most cases be considered too expensivce 
The construction of tight basement wells or sealing 
cellar with a laycr of cement will exclude snekese Foundatio 
anc. barns may be "pointed-up" with ccnent in Bi Same Way. If the vells 
uncer any building are sealed with coment end all low windows screered, 
snakes and other undesirable animals can not ae ontrance The debris 
thet often accumulates under vorches should be removed and “the space kept 
clean. 
Suggestions for Eradicating Undesirable Snakes 
There are so many snakes in most neighbornoods and they frequent 
such inaccessible spots that: their total eradication is practically impos-— 
sible. So long as there are large uninhabited areas, snakes will contimue 
to spread. from these caters into settled districts, even though a constant 
Wearfere be kept up against theme The introduction of predatory enimals, 
lixe the mongoose, to conbat than, no matter which sex, is never desirable 
because they destroy at least as many sround-nesting birds as they do 
injurious animals. The importation of mongooses is prohibited by lawe 
So far as known, only one method of snake eredication is generally 
successful, and that is to kill by clubbing or shooting. Local compnrigns 
for the ee iateticn of poisonous snakes, as the cottonmouth moccasin, 
the cooperhead, the rattlesnake, the massasauga, end the coral snake 
are GCesirable in many districts. ost of the nonpoisonous snakes are 
Gistinctly beneficial in that their food consists to a larze extent o 
injurious rodents and insccts, and ell comprigns aczeinst snekes shoul 
Giscriminate between poisonovs mmd non—poisonous, and between harmful ané 
useful, varicticse 
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