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Long story
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deniz |
12/05/06 |
I gonna write you are story and ask questions about that.
A RUNNING BROOK OF HORRORS
Although I had kept snakes for many years, I was probably moree astonished by Grace's performence than someone who knew nothing about reptiles. My mistake lay in supposing that all snakes are more or less alike. I knew rattlesnakes but I knew nothing about cobras. Although the cobra is intrinsically a far more dangeours snake than the rattlesnake, Grace would never have attemped to handle a diomandback rattler in the manner she handled this cobra. To understand why, you have to know the physical and phychological diffrences between the two reptiles.
A rattler has two "coils." When he is resting, he lies coiled up like a length of rope with his head lying on the topmost coil and his rattle sticking up in the center of the heap. When he is angry, he rears the upper third of his body a foot or more off the ground, coiling it into a S-shaped design and sounding his rattle continuously. Snake men call this position the "business coil." The rattler is like a coiled string. He can strike out the full length of his S, inject his venom, and return into position for another strike literally faster than the eye can follow. He cannot strike farther than the raised S, nor will he attack. To attack, he would have to come out of his coil and lose his advantageous position. He is like a boxer with his bent arm drawn back for a haymaker. As soon as his opponent comes close enough, he can let him have it.
A cobra, on the other hand, rears straight upward. If you put your elbow on a table, cup your hand to represent the open hood, and sway your forearm back and forth, you will have a good idea of the fighting stance of a cobra. Your index finger represents the tiny, mouselike head that you cannot dtrike out as far as you could with your arm drawn back. Your range is limited to the length of your forearm. Here is a large part of the secret in handling cobras.
Because of the deceptively coiled S, no one can tell exactly how far a rattler can strike. But with a little practice, you can tell a cobra's range to inch. Also, the blow of a cobra is comparatively slow. A man with steady nerves can jerk away in time to avoid being bitten. This is exactly what a mongoose does. The mongoose keeps just outside the cobra's range and when he does dart in for a bite, he can jump clear of the blow. A mongoose would stand no chance at all against a rattlesnake.
Another vital dffrence lies in the method of striking. The rattler does not bite. He stabs with his fangs. A rattler's fangs are very long, so long that they would pierce his lower jaw if he did not keep them folded back against the roof of his mouth. When he strikes, the rattler opens his mouth to its fullest extent, the fangs snap down into place, and the snake stabs. The fangs are hollow and connect directly with the posion glands in either side of the snake's head. When the snake feels his fangs go home, he instantly discharges his venom deep into the wound.The fangs operate like miniature hypodermic needles and are extremely efficient.
The cobra has no such elaborate apparatus. His fangs are short and do not fold back. Instead of stabbing like the rattler, he must actually bite. He grabs his victims and then deliberately chews while the venom runs down into the wound he is making. These apparently minor distinctions mean the diffrences between life and death anyone working with snakes.
QUESTIONS
1-In the first paragraph, why was the narrator "more astonished" watching Grace handle a cobra than a person who knew ittle about snakes would be?
2-Why does the narrator compare a rattlesnake to a boxer?
3-How is fighting position of a cobra DIFFRENT from that of a rattlesnake?
4-What would a monggoose's chance be of winning a fight with a rattlesnake?
5-How are a cobra's fangs DIFFRENT from a rattlesnake's fangs?
6-How are Paragaph 2 and Paragraph 3 ALIKE?
7-Why is it a mmistake to believe that all snakes are alike? Support your answer with informaton and details from the article.
8-How are author and Grace alike? |
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