The Western World: Picturesque Sketches of Nature and Natural History in North; and South AmericaKingston, William Henry Giles
History
The Western World: Picturesque Sketches of Nature and Natural History in North; and South America
Kingston, William Henry Giles
Natural history -- North America; Natural history -- South America
The beautiful blue house snake--four feet in length, with rows of spots
on its side--is often mistaken for the corn snake, its habits being very
similar. The lower part of the body is of a silvery white, tesselated
with oblong marks of black. The ignorant fancy that it sucks the milk
from the udders of the cows, and hence its name; though, probably, it
has no objection to a little milk, if it finds it in a pan. Its object,
however, in entering houses and farms, is to search for mice and
insects, on which it in reality feeds, never interfering with the cows
or other animals.
THE BLACK SNAKE.
In many parts of the country, the black snake, on account of its rapid
movements, is called the "racer." Though fangless, it often, in
consequence of the way in which it rustles its tail among the dry
herbage, making a sound similar to that of the rattlesnake, gives no
small alarm to the wanderer among the brushwood near the edges of
streams or ponds. It is also frequently encountered in the fields or on
the roads.
It is generally from five to six feet in length; of a blue-black above,
and an ashy grey below. It climbs trees in search of birds or their
eggs; and if interrupted in its employment, will turn its rage against
the intruder. Sometimes, it is asserted, it will, to his horror, leap
down and give him a bite; though the only injury likely to arise is that
to his nervous system from fright. Its bite is, indeed, perfectly
harmless; and it does good service in hunting rats which live in the
outbuildings, being able to climb walls and insinuate itself into the
most intricate passages when chasing them.
THE COACH-WHIP SNAKE.
The last snake we will mention is the coach-whip snake, belonging to the
family of Dryadidae. No serpent can surpass it in the rapidity of its
movements, as, with its lithe, black body--between five and six feet in
length--and whiplike tail, it makes its way amid the grass in pursuit of
its prey. It seems literally to fly over the ground with the speed of
lightning.
It is curiously like the thong of a whip, being very long in proportion
to its girth, with a remarkably small head and neck; its smooth scales--
so arranged as greatly to resemble the plaited leather of a whip--of a
polished brown-black hue increasing the resemblance.
When about to seize its prey, it darts forward with open mouth, grasping
the animal; in an instant it winds its lithe body and tail round and
round it, so as to make escape impossible. It will thus attack birds of
prey of considerable size, and come off victorious.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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