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Nature Magazine: Carolina number

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Item’s are ‘child’ level descriptions to ‘parent’ objects, (e.g. one page of a whole book).

  • NATURE MAGAZINE FOR MAY 193 1 319 cotton-mouth moccasin, and the pygmy or ground rattlesnake. In addition is found one of the first cousins of the deadly cobra—the coral snake. This beautifully-colored reptile with its black, red and yellow bands is often turned up while fields are being plowed. Although it was erroneously regarded by the old authorities on reptiles as harmless, it is in reality one of the most dangerously venomous snakes of all. Its fangs are extremely short and its mode of attack differs from that of the vipers in that instead of striking and withdrawing quickly, it retains its hold and, in the manner of its larger cousins, moves its jaws in a chewing movement, thus grinding its deadly poison into the wounds. Its venom acts on the nervous system of its victim instead of in the bloodstream, and it is popularly supposed that it is this fact that makes it more dangerous to man, since the action of the poison is quicker in its distribution. The rattlers are too well known to merit more than mention here, but the water moccasin or "cotton-mouth", as it is better known in this region, deserves a word if only for "*iw %7t£*^ a. -* - --->vv :'^B»af s . .. A ■jr. > ""S.V-- •*.\ ~M.' '* \±:/~- ' *> *. - ,y r-i^atft" THE FAMED COPPERHEAD He brooks no interference from either man or beast the fact that contrary to the usual actions of its near cousins in slipping away at the approach of man, this species will often dispute the path with him. Nor is there any warning of its attack, for its protective coloration renders it a most inconspicuous object until it is too late. The writer, while on a recent fishing trip, had a narrow escape from one of these reptiles. He had brought his punt to within a few inches of a cottonwood tree that raised its stubby height out of the creek and, in endeavoring to avoid a collision, put his hand on the rounded surface of the tree-top when, to his horror, he saw coiled among the shoots CAL SOCIETY N. V. ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY THE BROWN WATER SNAKE AND FAMILY An inconspicuous, but harmless lover of the swamps and lowlands, and a snappy dresser when young that grew upward from this tree, and within six inches of his hand, a large water moccasin. Fortunately the day was cold and the reptile was inert; otherwise there is a probability that there would have been another writer for this article. Among the non-venomous snakes, and closely resembling in appearance the coral snake, is the scarlet king snake. It is difficult to tell it from the coral without more than a cursory glance. Its habit of burrowing as does the coral snake results in many of these comparatively (Continued on page 338) ZOOLOGICAL I THE SLOW-MOVING GOPHER TORTOISE A terrestrial, herb-eating member of an order well represented in the Tarheel and Palmetto States
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Object’s are ‘parent’ level descriptions to ‘children’ items, (e.g. a book with pages).