The Richmond Indiana palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1854-1855, 1855-05-11
From TIE Sclertiuc An.tllcdL- :
~ The Mexican Snake Bird.

Having ead brief description of the snake
bird in a number Of the Scientific American,
i1854, sent me by my brother, l thought
shat more extended description Of It's nature
and habits would be interesting to your read
ers, especially as have been resident In this
country for more than ten years.
This bird inhabiss not only all the southern
coasts of California, but all the hot climates of
the Republic, and both Central and South
America. II goes by the name of Hicaco-
pronounced soaco. Its color is almost black,
and mottled It's tail is composed of four or
FIVE dark mottled feathers about ten inches
long It's beak is two and half inches long
slim, hard and very sharp. It's length is about
twenty-five inches from the tip of the tail TO
the point of the beak. Its weight is about one
pound. Ii has four toes on each foot: its claws
are sharp and slender. It's food is grain of
all kinds seeds and fruit. and particularly the
fruit of the cactus, which is abundant in all
the hot climates. This fruit is about the size
of small lemon, and is covered with prickles
ike a chestnut burr. When fully ripe, how
ever, these are easily removed, and II is very
fine This bird has plenty of these, conse-
auently he has an abundance of spare time on
hand to make war against all the snake spe
cies With such zeal does he prosecute the
warfare that he seems to have been ordained
to keep within certain limits this species of rep
tile, so dangerous to the human family No
sooner does he see rattle snake than he pro-
ceeds to gather IN his beak and claws the leaves
and vines of a certain plant, (the hiacco. and
drops them cautiously upon his sleeping foe,
at the same time diving down upon him, and
screcching in a most threatening manner
This puts the snake upon his guard, not seeing
his most mortal enemy (the plant If he
eh ri ! in
his beak, and drops it upon him as before In
about three minutes, the snake becomes so
stupefed as to fall an easy prey to the enraged
bird. which is so strong, although not large,
that he will take a snake four feet long by
the tail, and fly up Wi him into the air to the
height of 500 feet, and let him drop down, to
be dashed to pieces
An infusion of this plant (the hiacco-from
which the bird gets its name, in brandy, ta-
ken into the stomach Immediately after a per-
son ha. been bitten by snake. stung by a
scorpion, or any poisonous reptile, DC, has
been stated to be most powerful antdote TO
the poison. 1t is in general use in all the hot
climates where poisonous reptiles abound.
The common way Of treating snake bites is.
to cut out the wounded piece at once. suck
out much of the poison as possible. and
take dose Of the hiacco. sufficient to produce
III
nine cases out of ten. the setting of the jaw of
persons bitten by snakes, and produce relief in
from twelve to twenty hours. JOHN s. BLAKE.
SNUFF RUBBING.-A special correspondent
of the Cincinnati Times, writing from Geor
gia, speaks in the following terms of the hab
its of the Southern ladies using tobacco. His
statements may be true, but we are not willing
to believe them:
Being obliged to close this communication
at short notice, will conclude by speaking of
a deleterious and really filthy habit that pre-
vais-among whom do you suppose? Why,
among the Southern ladies'! Not confined to
the poor or ignorant classes, but practiced
with equal diligence in the cabin and the parlor
Great efforts made to keep the extent of
this habit secret. 1t is never mentioned in
conversation when gentlemen are about 1t is
not spoken of and discussed in the papers
But if there was ever subject worthy of the
unmitigated condemnation of the public press,
and the special and undivided attention of
Women's Rights Conventions and Reform So
cieties. it is the sickening dirty, poisonous
practice of "snuF rubbing" las it is termed, }
which prevails TO alarming extent in every
Southern State. and is gradually working its
way westward. 1t is only another name for
the old custom of tobacco chewing, against
which the fair sex generally are SO properly
opposed Yet, when compared with snuff
rubbing tobacco chewing is clean and
Aalthy practice. The modus ope.andi Of this
UNIV omanly custom is as follows: Strong snuff
or powdered tobacco is provided in a box, and
then bit of hickory wood is splntered and
chewed until il becomes soft, fine brush
After being well moistened in the mouth, this
brdsh is dipped into the snuff box, and then
sucked rubbed about the teeth, gums and
over the tongue. until intoxication, or a sort of
insensibility is produced Some fastidious Ia
dies discard the plain hickory, aud use a tooth
brush; others simply dip finger in the snuff
and in that manner convey it 10 their mouths
This habit grows upon aperson like the use of
opium or brandy, and is equally Disgusting
and pernicous to health Sill, il is encoura-
ged, and | said before, prevails among all
classes, white and black. rich and poor unless
indeed they are 100 poor to buy tobacco.
At parties. snuff rubbing forms portion Of
the ladies' entertainment, very often, and wo-
men offer their snuffb boxes and brushes to
visitors as politely as one smoker offers anosh-
er cigar, or one stranger asks another for a
"ehew-of tobacco In many of the South
ern churches, the ladies side of the hou e is as
badly stained with tobacco as the gentlemen's
An eminent physician with whom con
versed on the subject, assured me that this
'.snuffrubbing'' was more dangerous and
filthy habit than either smoking and chewing
and was the cause Of an untold amount Of
disease and death. And" he remarked
1.-The first ladies of the country. married and
single. rub snuff until /; becomes an infatu-
alton that they cannot resist" ! conyersed
with this gentleman upon the practice. its ef-
fects. DC. for several hours. and was utterly
coufounded by his 5 atements. He referred
me to any retail store TO find the snuff neatly
put up in pound and alf-pound bottles on
purpose for the fair consumers And in coun-
try stores i Is q common practice 70 kcan a