Melissa, Believe me, when I kill a snake, he IS dead! Seriously, most snakes will continue to wiggle or coil up, even after they are headless, which is probably what started this 'old wives tale'. Plus, my wife actually prefers that dead snakes not be brought home at all. jeff Melissa Jones wrote: > Hi, everyone, > > One of my distant cousins sent a nostalgic e-mail to another list we're > both on. She was reminiscing about "old times". > > This particular sentence caught my eye: > > >If you killed a rattler, you didn't bring > >him home 'til the next day to show him off > >...snakes don't die 'til sundown. > > Has anyone else ever heard this? Early this summer, Dad and I sat around > with cousin Jeff Loveless and his dad Eugene and they told us some of > their rattler stories, but I don't remember hearing this about the snakes. > > Anyway, old superstitions like this are fun to explore...so, anyone know > about snakes not dying 'til sundown? > > --Melissa