The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1850-12-14
BATTLE BETWEEN RATTLESNAKES
NND 4 RAT.

HNf-rLE BETWEEN RATTLESNAKES
AND RAT.
W ---L--I ~ Al-lI-i = Q -
rlurk, rh. state t.,oInmca Hall. 60 Viiur.s
an interesting and emiuitou. rvhihiti9n. r"t
--.-- L. -lLa-Ga aul.-el.n. and ,cnhcnnnly Mr.
John GcIarI, Jr. .o dr-cryrI'y % ia,ofitr
with thr crnwda nf 4alirs and guntleinrn ta
Whom he -Hovs surl, f-itr nud ,~nrrous hue
Vmlity ou visiting that establishments In q
strong rla,, wire ragc, 100 which thrrc arr
large artlc-urkc-, two of them siS feet long.
aud fourteen small ONES uf various sizes. a
large rat was placed. s. -opu as he entered
their den, the large snakes raised themselves.
and with their coal black eyc, looking on
the intruder dropped their hra',. drrming
h'm 40 aHworthy antagonist Not 80 how
ever with the smaller unr. ror Two or three
ot them instantly charged rn the rat, and
running out their torkcd tongues, quickly ~
.rrtrd their bmgs into hi- plump ho,ly Mons
li,t grabbed one about fourteen niche. long
with his teeth and hit 10 through and through
the head. shook il with madnc-, and laid the
lttlc monster dead a, hi' feet The littlc
one, rrccdcd and thr large nuc, raised them
."l,c. and .huok their fearful nttlc., .hcn
.aW!t ,ise most poisonous nf al the motley
crowd yvji0S latJIv,Hago rDnf T,et long.
p,isrd him-rGc,cry MUSCLE of hi, bpdy work
ing in dreadful oou,ortions, then ,lartinr a}r-
waris, 10 struck blow with is poisonous
ihncs intn the rat, the venom iollowine the
wound. Encouraged hv thi- effort the large
black attlrr, -,,rral times struck t. and the
rat went round and round the cage, oni,
fighting the smaller Ones who kept constant
'' "''"r Hs lf'n, Tho uuis, maIr l,y their
ratt!r- and kissing wa. ,crrih'c.and the crown
ct brholder- -tood swc--tru,k witnessing the
fearful contrast Slowly the rat, legs began
20 swell "a, the poison Took effect, aud they
soon hccamc ot such enormous size ~ 10 bc-
come powcric,s, WHEN hc dragged himself a
round. ,ull showing determined bravery, Ns
-rfft- HuaHrtIHr ufTl'7 TJ -aV, dc snalicr ONES
proved 81 la-t cylou-tcd nature bcgnn 20
give way ,loVly,as his body became bcnumb-
ed. hi, ewes grew CLASSY, he ceased to walk.
and the bites the littc monsters continued 10
give him wcrr unhecdrd, ioS he stretched
himself ont and died. after q forty minutes
eight. None OF them ate OF his bo'ly,ior thur
,nakcship, viii not partaAc OF food again Iill
next spring
Speaking ut snakcs,i ia l.p,gr Canada. il is
almost universally believed tlat snake po.-
that power of fascination which has 80
often been denied them by nauralsts. Many
people have had the fact demonstrated 20
them d, heipg witnesses 10 IL. and this was
~ -
,trolling through the woods, SAYS n writer OF
note. / came t1 the edge ct small pond ot :
wrti,r ON fhn surface of which loatcd a frog
in II state OF inotioHloss rcPoso, as il hasking
in the sun. | carclcssly touched his back
with my stick but contrary TO my expectation
lee. ,Iid i,oJ move, 4ad sjrwinr him Inorr
closely. perceived that he ryasped in con-
,ulsiyc- -.onnucy, aRL was affected with trc-
NOR in his hiud lccs:I soon discovered a black
snake coiled up, Iying near the edge ~ tho
pond, and hotJtiug the irpg IN thTadom hv
The magic Of his eyes. Whenever he moved
his head to one side or the other, his destined
yictlm followed it, as ii under the niuehcs
ot magnetic attraction: sometimes howeyrr,
rccoiling icchlv, but soon ,princiug torwzrvt
lEtills TT ~ H7i'iiis f'f 'fT'hf'
ing mixed" The snake lay with his mouth
half open, and never Tor moment allowed
his ewes TO wander from his prey. otherwise
the charm would have been simultaneously
dissolved. But ! determined to effect this,
and accordingly threw a large chip OF wood
into the pond. Ii tell between the two rep
tilcs--thc snake started back, while the frog
dartcd untrr water and concealed itself in
the mud.
IL !, asserted hy some that snakes occasinn-
ally exert their powers OF iacinAtionupon hu-
man beings, and there Is no reason to doubt
the truth uf this. An old Dutch woman, who
lives at Twelve Mile CHrek in the Niagara
district, sometimes gives y minste account
OF the manner ii which she was charmed by
q serpent; and farmer t6d me that SINH
lar circumstance once occurred to his dahgh-'
ter. Il was on a warm symmer day that she
was sent to spread wet -clnthcs upon some
shrubss very near the huuse. Her ihother
conceived that she remained longer than il
was necessary, and seeing her stand uuoCCu-
pied at some distance She called TO her ,evc-
raj times, bat no answer was returned. On
approaching. she iound her daughter palc4
inoEfdipss, aud rXed in IN erect posture
The sweat rolled down her brow, and her
hands were rlcnchcd conyulsisel' largs