I wouldn't call the man an idiot...he has ensured a decent...

I wouldn't call the man an idiot...he has ensured a decent remuneration for the boys for a few years yet.

A quote from WikiAnswers:

"Snake skins consist of overlapping scales of a hard, semi-transparent material called keratin. Snakes shed the outer layer of their skin as they outgrow the old one, and those that are not growing also shed, replacing their worn scales with a new, healthy skin. Some snakes shed every few weeks, others shed only about once a year. A new layer develops below the surface of the old skin. The snake begins the shedding process by rubbing its nose against rocks or other hard objects to start the separation of the old layer from its lips, and then crawls out of its old skin. The old skins are often found intact where they were abandoned."