By Ted Kesting Probably the cutest snake of them all. if you can imagine any snake being cute, is the hog nosed snake, also known as the puffing adder, putting viper and spreading viper Outdoor writer Shep Shepherd thinks this com pletely harmless snake is the big gest ham in the reptile world. When danger threatens, he -aises his body upward, flattens his head and spreads a cobra 'ike hood. With mouth open he hisses and strikes ferociously. This aw esome pet formance is designed to frighten other crea tures into instant flight. For all this show of pugnacity, the little hognose won't bite even if you put a finger in his mouth. II his bluff fails, he resorts to other means. He dies. And when it comes to playing dead lie can out-possum tlie most expert possum that ever lived. lie goes into violent, convul sions turning on ins back and thrashing about in fancied pain. Gradually the convulsions cease, the mouth comes open, the tongue hangs out and the hognose looks tor all the world like the deadest snake aim lie makes one mistake m this convincing act. So intent is he upon his purpose that if you turn him over on his belly after he has "died" hr will in stantly flop over on his back again. This is his death and. by golly he is going to die in the manner ot Ins own choosing. When he is completely "dead." walk away somewhere out of his sight and wait. After a few min utes he turns slowly on his stom ach again, raises his head and takes a careful look around. If his audience has departed lie docs likewise. Il they ever come up with an Oscar for snakedom, the little hognose is a cinch to cop it. Incidentally, he got that name from his snout, which is turned up on the end for rooting in dirt after the toads that ate the main item on his menu. Now comes the moral of this piece Destroy poisonous snakes. Lot the others live. Don't smash the skull of every snake you see just on the theory it might be poisonous. Learn to know the four dangerous kinds and give the rest a chance to leave you alone, which they will gladly do. In most (sections of the country people have only one or two poisonous snakes to think about. The West concerns itself only with the rat tlers except for a portion of the (Southwest where a few coral snakes may be found The central states will encounter ratllers. cop perheads and occasionally moc casins. New England has rattle snakes and copperheads. The southeastern states have the gA-atcst number and variety of venomous snakes since it is here that the range of tlie rattlesnake, tlie coral and the moccasin over lap. with a few copperheads also appearing m northern Florida.

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