I was done with Nick Denton a long, long time ago.

Okay, no, actually, a billytea question: The county doesn't do snakes, so my dad would have to get a professional pest control person with reptile experience in, which obviously he wouldn't want to do unless it was absolutely, definitely rattlesnakes and not any kind of mimics. Is this phone camera picture even remotely identifiable?

I agree with Cash. The head to me looks more like a colubrid like a Pacific gopher snake, than a viper. The colouring could certainly be a gopher snake. The tail posture mostly matters if it was trying to threaten your dad when he took the pic.

I would certainly not be so sure about it as to recommend anyone try picking it up, though.

Thanks, everyone. I'm prodding my dad now to post the snake-head pics.

Yeah, JZ's dad lives pretty near me. I've seen 3 rattlesnakes in the last year on my dog walks. I don't have a snake phobia, thank god. 11 years of being a camper and camp counselor in the San Bernardino mountains stomps that right out of you.

And this is not to say that people shouldn't have phobias about animals, but I personally am far more scared of people than any animal. I carry pepper spray on my dog walks for predators, mostly of the two-legged variety.

Scold's Bridle: Medieval Punishment for Gossiping and Quarrelsome Women

That’s the "Scold’s Bridle," a gruesome mask used as punishment for "rude, clamorous woman," who are considered to be spending too much gossiping or quarreling in the Medieval times. It came complete with a bell on top, no less:

Time spent in the bridle was normally allocated as a punishment by a local magistrate. The custom developed in Britain in the 1500s, and spread to some other European countries, including Germany. When wearing the mask it was impossible to speak. This example has a bell on top to draw even more attention to the wearer, increasing their humiliation. It was used until the early 1800s as a punishment in workhouses.

I learned about those because it was the title (and featured in) a British crime drama. Waking the Dead, I think.

Huh. Nope it was just called The Scold's Bridle and had Miranda Richardson.

But while looking for that, I found this QI [link]

Aw, yeah, now I feel productive. I just got off the phone with my parents and they are giving me a back fence for my birthday because they are awesome (and because my current back fence has holes that the dog goes right through) and while I was talking to them I got a reply from the company that made my worm bin and it sounds like they will send me the parts I am missing free of charge. Yay.

The book The Scold's Bridle was the basis for that movie, and one of Minette Walters' first. Really good.

-t, very practical gift! I love it.

JZ, here is a picture of one of the Rattlers Steve and I found on one of our dog walks in the Oakland hills: [link]