The story goes like this: In the wooded mountains of Yongzhou there was a singular kind of snakes, whose bodies were black with white stripes and could cause the plants they touch to wither.

• 捕蛇者说的故事是这样的：在永州的山林里头，有一种奇异的蛇，黑黑的身体长著白色的花纹，凡是被它碰触到的草木，草木都要枯死。