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Bothrops insularis is a real venomous viper, close kin to the rattler. It lives only on a small Brazilian coastal island, where its rule is uncontested. It did in the last lighthouse keepers 40 years ago. With no enemies and a good food supply, the fertile reptiles slither about their insular paradise in everincreasing numbers.

Not long ago, biologists made an unnerving discovery about these snakes. Dissecting a male, they found an atrophied embryo! Along with well developed male organs, the mixed-up viper also had female ovaries! Herpetologist Alphonse Hoge of Sao Paulo collected 164 bothrops on the island, found over half were hermaphrodites, and only 15 were true females-all sterile! Checking earlier collections of the snakes, the hermaphroditizing tendency seemed on the increase. Since the mixlings produce fewer offspring than is average for mainland snakes, Dr. Hoge feared Bothrops was probably breeding itself "into increasing abnormality, decreasing fertility and eventual extinction."

Why so? Nature shows many examples of a species endangering its very existence by overpopulation (as homo sapiens is doing), then suddenly altering its means of reproduction, as if nature somehow exercised a brake. Even the division between male and female seems to first appear as a birthcontrol method, so hermaphroditism for Bothrops insularis may be the means of

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by dal mcintire

insuring a better population ratio on Queimada Grande Island. BERGLE, BERGLE

Dr. Bergler's latest effusion-his book "1,000 Homosexuals," his 20th rehash of egocentric polemic, self-revealing hysteria and glib hypothesizing, with his usual unsubstantiated claims about being able to cure homosexuals at the drop on an oedipus, has gotten glowing publicity in TIME, NEWSWEEK, and in syndicated AP and UP stories. Would suggest that the honorable newsmongers check the validity of these unsubstantiated claims to over 100 cures before giving free advertising to such quackery-or maybe the AMA should do some checking.

Wonder where TIME got the figures they cited in their Nov. 9 Bergler review claiming 10% of all male homosexuals are VD carriers? No study has been made that is capable of providing such figures. Ten percent of a particular group of arrested male prostitutes, maybe...

Outside the Bay Area, barely a word was said about San Francisco's recent unorthodox election campaign. The curtain of silence still has a long way to lift. Christopher is still Mayor. Wolden is still tax assessor-for awhile at least. We'll see how much forensic gymnastics the celebrated "King of Torts," Atty. Mel Belli puts into defending Wolden against the Mattachine's $1,103,500 slander suit. Case will probably make flashy news for a year or two.

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