Re: serpent results

[Stephen Faust <smfaust@edisto.cofc.edu>]

You can go by a black nose in South Carolina, but don't try it in Central
and South America where coral snakes seem to come in every color
combination one could think of, including some that sport no red and 
yellow at all.

Steve

Stephen Faust                   smfaust@edisto.cofc.edu

On Sat, 13 Jun 1998, Bill Adlam wrote:

> Way back when (the 26th of May), I asked:
> 
> >You see 3 smallish, almost cylindrical snakes, all striped red, yellow and 
> >black:
> > A:      ...R Y B Y R Y B Y R Y B Y...
> > B:      ...B R Y R B R Y R B R Y R...
> > C:      ...Y B R B Y B R B Y B R B...
> >Which is dangerously venomous, which is harmless, and which is new to 
> >science?
> 
> The answer I was looking for was A, C, B respectively.  You avoid A, ignore 
> C and investigate B.  (It turns out to be a hitherto-unknown morph of 
> kingsnake.  If you keep it, you discover when it sloughs that some joker had 
> painted it.)
> 
> Two people believe that the rule (red on yellow = venomous, red on black = 
> safe) is unreliable.  There are certainly a few non-venomous snakes with red 
> on white, and there may be some with red on yellow.  As for venomous snakes 
> which are YBRB, there don't seem to be any, but I disclaim all liability.
> 
> I had five correct answers and two incorrect ones (one of which quoted the 
> rule correctly).  And one respondent explained why he didn't know or care.  
> 
>                                                       All the best,
> 
>                                                                       Bill
>