Show Are l Snakes f Friends s. s Y You Yon Bet B By RONALD WHITE Many people are afraid of snakes The first impulse is isto isto isto to kill them but snakes perI perform per per- I form an important part in preserving the balance of life as they feed mainly upon upon upon up up- on insects and small animals like rodents which tend to multiply excessively THEY ARE consequently of great service to agriculture in keeping down the hordes of injurious locusts grasshoppers mice gophers and other pests which do much damage to the farmer It is interesting to know there are over 2500 different kinds of snakes and there are about that many interesting interesting interesting interest interest- ing facts about them too About three-fourths three of all snakes hatch from eggs the rest are born horn alive from their mothers body A SNAKE egg is not brittle brittle brittle brit brit- tle like a birds egg but it itis itis itis is soft and pliable It gets bigger after it is laid It may grow as much as one third before hatching Some eggs hatch within four days others take as long as 90 The baby snake gets out of its egg by means of a temporary temporary temporary tem tem- egg tooth as a chick does From the moment of hatching it is ready to take care of itself A POISONOUS snake as soon as it is hatched knows how to use its poison A rattlesnake two minutes old can coil and strike expertly If bitten keep calm Dont Don't run Dont Don't drink stimulants Snake poison spreads relatively relatively relatively rela rela- slow but panic ex ex- excitement excitement excitement or stimulants will hurry its action MOST SNAKEBITES occur on the legs or hands Apply a cravat bandage a couple of inches wide between the marks and the heart But not so firmly that you OU shut shutoff shutoff shutoff off the blood in the arteries Then open up the fang marks with shallow cuts using a razor blade or sharp knife point sterilized in a match flame As soon as cuts are made start suction to remove the poison-filled poison blood in the bite |