THE YORKVILLE ENQUIRER — MAY 25, 1909
Some Information From One Who Is Sure He Really Knows
This department probably has no no business in the joint snake symposium now being conducted by the Lawrence Journal and Kiwis City Star, but as neither the Journal nor the Star seems to know much about the reptile, we herewith tender some authoritative information. The joint snake is a crawling thing, varying in length from 6 to 15 inches, and in its general appearance more nearly resembles a lizard than a snake. In color it is a dull yellow, with minute stripes of pea green, and its skin is glazed and transparent, differing in that respect from all true members of the snake family.
There is nothing in the theory that the joint snake flies to pieces when hit with a stick, and that it afterwards crawls about collecting and marshaling in order the dismembered portions of its anatomy. This theory is as fictitious as one concerning the disposition of the hoop snake to take its tail in its mouth and go rolling about the country. As a matter of fact, the joint snake has but one joint, located at a point two-thirds the length of its body, measuring from the head. Any sort of rough treatment will dislocate this joint. A hard blow from a stick directed at the proper spot will do it. Or the two sections of the body may be separated by a simple twist of the wrist, which was esteemed the proper method when we were a boy.
