Show Many Snakes Reserve eser e Protection Contrary to popular belief most common snakes are neither obnoxious nor poisonous says says the Biological Biologic l Survey of the United States Depart Depart- Department Department Department ment of Agriculture The prevalent dread of snakes is due largely to th the feal of such venomous species as the mouth mouth cotton moccasin the copper copper- head copperhead the rattlesnake the and the coral sn snake ke Although these poisonous snakes have no place in a settled country cO and efforts should bo be made to eradicate LQ them yet most corn com common cornman cornmon mon man snakes are beneficial in their food habits and should be protected Wherever snakes sl kes vire present in in abnormally large numbers there must be of living animal food in the vicinity to attract them This food consists lat largely ely of injurious rodents and inse insects ts posts of garden arden crops and stored foodstuffs Snakes eat such small living creatures ciS as earthworms spiders grasshoppers salamanders small frogs mice rats chipmunks and young young rabbits Kin King snakes are able to kill rattlesnakes and have been to eat cat them The little red-bellied red snake subsists to a large extent on slugs which are very destructive to gardens Bull snakes and gopher snakes destroy large numbers of injurious rodents in in the course of 9 a year The food very few snakes conflict with mans man's interest Water snakes feed larg largely ly on small fish but not not as a rule on Species used as food byman The mo moon mon moon n or queen snake eats its crawfish am and toads The black blacksnake blacksnake blacksnake snake and snake destroy a ground certain numb numbest t of round nesting birds particularly quail and e eggs gs in inthe inthe inthe the nest and ha have haye been Leen to eat young oung chick chickens ns and even youn young pheasants phea phea- pheasants Local campaigns campaigns for the des des- destruction des destruction of thes these and of poisonous snakes may be d desirable in many dis- dis districts districts dis districts and clubbing g- g gand and shooting are areso so far as known the only successful methods of eradication No successful for Snaring snakes has ever been devised devis-d and most species species seem immune to poison poison gases |