Kathryn Balestrini, age 8, of Milor , Conn., or her question:

Why does a snake shed his skin?

A growing snake needs to change his skin because it gets too tight for him. An adult snake changes his skin for the same reason that you go out and buy a new dress. Your old clothes become worn. The snake spends all his time on the rough.. dirty ground and this is very hard cn his skin. From time to time, he needs a new one.
The new skin begins to grow underneath the one he is wearing. When it is ready, the old skin becomes dry and hard   not at all comfortable. And getting rid of it is quite a job, As a rule, the snake finds himself a rough tree trunk or a ragged stone and starts to rub himself. Sometimes he has only grass to rub against. After a while, the old skin tears and comes loose. The snake frees himself and crawls away to enjoy his glossy, pliable new akin. If you have a pet snake, be aura to provide him with a rough atone or a piece of bark in case he needs to shed his old skin.