WATER-SNAKES, AND THE HOG-NOSED SNAKE 
347 
its neck with air, and hisses until it can be heard 
twenty-five feet. 
In spite of all this bluffing, however, the Hog- 
Nosed Snake is really a harmless creature. It 
strikes viciously, but always with its mouth 
closed! Mr. Ditmars says it is almost impossible 
to induce one of these snakes to bite. When 
greatly annoyed, or tickled on the back, it will 
HOG-NOSED SNAKE. 
turn over on its back, open its mouth, allow its 
tongue to hang out, and permit the experimenter 
to hang it over a stick, as if dead. If thrown 
upon the ground on its back, it will slowly 
turn back again, take in its tongue, and crawl 
away. 
When a small boy I once had a thrilling en- 
counter on a bare prairie with one of these snakes, 
which sought to take refuge in its hole while I 
fought it off with my hat. At last the snake 
fled, and I blocked up the mouth of the hole. 
While I was ploughing the next round, the snake 
returned, and with its nose dug a new opening 
running diagonally down into the old one, and 
entered. 
This snake is flat-headed and thick-bodied, 
and varies in length from 30 to 37 inches. Its 
colors are a mixture of brown, yellow and black, 
with no definite pattern, and are almost impos- 
sible to describe successfully. This species lays 
eggs, which are about one and one-half inches in 
length, covered with a thick, tough, flexible shell. 
When hatched the young are from 7 to 8 inches 
long, and they hiss very soon after they emerge. 
The embryo serpent possesses an “egg-tooth,” 
for cutting the shell of the egg, but it loosens 
and drops out within a day or two after the 
serpent is hatched. 
THE POISONOUS SNAKES OF NORTH 
AMERICA. 
Fortunately for us, all save one of our species 
of poisonous serpents are so peculiarly marked 
it is possible for any intelligent person to know 
them all, and recognize their dangerous charac- 
ter in a moment. This knowledge once acquired, 
all the other snakes of North America cease to 
be objects of dread or terror, and become merely 
so many interesting specimens of natural history. 
A bird’s-eye view of our venomous serpents 
reveals the following assemblage : 
Rattlesnakes, 1 1 species, 
Massasaugas, 3 species, 
Venomous Serpents Water-Moccasin, 
of North America. Copperhead, 
Harlequin Snake, 
Sonoran Coral Snake. 
Out of the 75,000,000 people in the United 
States, probably not more than two die each 
year as the result of snake-bites. The number 
of timid people who are frightened by harmless 
snakes, each year, must be about 1,000,000. 
Now, if all the latter could be so fully informed 
as to be free for all time from groundless fear, 
what a relief to suffering nerves it would be. 
And why should any one remain in ignorance? 
In reality, there are only five types to learn, all 
the rattlesnakes and massasaugas being referable 
to one group by reason of the rattles and “but- 
tons” on their tails. 
Come, then! Let us address ourselves to the 
very simple task of learning from a book how to 
recognize the venomous serpents of North Amer- 
ica, as readily as one recognizes the dogs and 
horses of our next-door neighbor. Excepting the 
water-moccasin, they are all so plainly marked 
that all persons except those who are blind may 
know them ; and there is no excuse for forgetting 
them. Instead of going into their anatomy at 
length, our efforts for this occasion will be con- 
centrated upon their external characters, habits 
and homes. 
Fortunately, we have not in North America 
any house-haunting serpents of great cunning 
and unfailing deadliness like the Hooded Cobra, 
or Cobra-de-Capello,’ of India. The bite of 
this species is very deadly, and whether wholly 
guilty or not, in India it is debited annually 
1 Na'ja tri-pu' di-ans . 
