Snakes 101
that he has a bluish tinge, and that he will chase a man whenever he gets sight of one.
Kill the first snake,
And break the first brake,
And you will conquer all you undertake.
That is, the first snake and the first brake seen in the spring.
Put a horse-hair in water, and it will turn into a snake. This superstition has two facts behind it which give it a semblance of truth. Firstly, a horse-hair put in’ water will twist and curl quite curiously. Secondly, there is a kind of worm sometimes seen in stagnant pools which strongly resembles a coarse horse-hair.
Cut a snake’s tail off, and the tail will not die until the sun goes down, The basis of this saying is that it is a fact that the tail will continue to wriggle and show signs of life long after it is separated from the body.
Some authorities affirm that you can cut a snake all to pieces, and its parts will not cease to move till the end of the day.
If, after cutting a snake in two, you put the parts into water, they will unite into a whole snake again.
