SNAKES SWALLOWING THEIR YOUNG 
343 
SNAKES “SWALLOWING’’ THEIR YOUNG. 
E. D. BALL. 
Doctor Herrick in his review of the “Infancy of Animals” 
in a recent number of Science raises the question of the ac- 
curacy of observations on snakes swallowing their young. As 
the writer once had what was probably a particularly favorable 
opportunity to witness this phenomenon, it occurs to him that 
the following facts may be worth recording. 
The country school in Iowa which the writer attended was 
held in the ordinary frame schoolhouse supported by a “cobble- 
stone” foundation of water- worn rocks more or less embedded 
in mortar. The school house faced the south and a set of narrow 
steps led up to the single central door. Through the foundation 
wall about half way between these steps and the southeast cor- 
ner of the building, and about eight to ten inches above the 
surface of the ground, was an irregular opening about two 
inches in diameter. This opening was used as a refuge one 
spring and summer by a large and “motherly” looking speci- 
men of the common garter snake of the region. The snake kept 
close to the hole at first and disappeared at the slightest sound. 
Later as we became interested in it, it was not disturbed and 
became accustomed to the ordinary noises of the children and 
would, if not too closely approached, often lie in the sun along 
side the wall during recess time. One day as we came trooping 
out at noon the snake raised its head several inches from the 
ground, uttered a hissing sound and then lowered its head to 
within an inch or two of the ground and opened its mouth quite 
widely. This rather frightened us and all eyes were on the 
snake, when from around the corner of the house and from 
further away in the yard came a number of small snakes which 
rushed pell-mell into the open mouth of the mother. When the 
last one was in, the mother snake raised her head quite high, 
wriggled over to the hole and disappeared. She was back there 
again at the next recess and the performance was repeated for 
a number of days. After this the same thing occurred at each 
recess, and two of us, who had even then budding naturalistic 
instincts would occasionally ask to “go out” in order to get a 
performance for our special benefit. 
