Karen Kane, age 9, of Old Bridge, New Jersey, for her question:

Can snakes hear?

Snakes are stone deaf and bulls are color blind. This news makes a snake charmer look rather foolish, likewise the flashy matador who pretends to goad a bewildered bull by waving his red cape. A snake has no workable ears as we do. But his body is very sensitive to vibrations, and sounds are vibrations. As he slithers along close to the ground, his skin can sense the vibrations of approaching footsteps.

He cannot hear a note of the snake charmer's flute. But his eyes keep a keen watch on the surroundings, especially anything that moves. The snake charmer knows this and sways with his music. The snake moves from side to side to watch each movement and seems to be swaying with the fluty tune. A bull also keeps a watch on moving objects, though he sees them only in black and white tones. The flashy cape torments him to fury because it is moving and it is his nature to attack anything that looks like a sneaky enemy.