Scent And Swallows: Food and Control.—Most rattlesnakes live on small mammals, such as rats, mice, and other rodents. The largest can engulf a cottontail rabbit. The prey is usually secured by ambushing mammal trails or by seeking it down holes. The snake generally does not hold its prey after striking ; the venom is so quickly fatal that the prey runs only a short way before dying. The snake follows by scent and swallows its victim at leisure. The venom, circulated in the prey before death, aids in digestion. Birds and amphibians also are sometimes eaten. Lizards, with their attenuated shape, are important in the diet of small rattlesnakes, which have difficulty in finding rodents small enough to eat. The prey is always swallowed whole.
A baby skunk makes a playful, affectionate, and responsive pet. It remains so even as an adult. Its scent glands may be left intact, as it does not use this defense upon those it knows. However if a kitten is to become a house pet, no doubt it will be given some freedom in the yard. This may expose it to stray dogs or some other frightening factor; hence it is advisable to have the scent glands removed.
A scented garden has its own obvious pleasures, and despite the cries that scent is being lost by modern flower breeders there are many different types of flowers that can be used effectively in this way. The heady scent of wallflowers Erysimum, the lovely mignonette and, of course, night-scented stock are all excellent choices. There are many more that can be appreciated from spring to winter, and they include the white Nicotiana (tobacco plant) and many forms of lilac, lavender, lily-of-the-valley, honeysuckle, viburnum, sweet peas, and jasmine.
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