Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-06-06
A SHOWER OF SNAKES.
serpents by the MsIlIen-7he Prairie
/ I'm the Neigbborhood Of TayIorvilIe,
Ill., LITERALLY Alive with Reptiles
The Grentest snake Story ON RECORD.

IN Inc N etEDBOfm0o0 ~ dy AoEsaaa y
Iil., IAteralIy Alive with Reptiles
The Greatest SNAKE Story ON RECORD
From the Illinois State Register. June l.
The great storm of last Friday
night viii be long remembered il
this State In addition to the de
tails heretofore given, we have in.
formation from a reliable citizen o.
great damage at Taylorville. The
storm burst in its full fury at that
place about dark, and the rain fell
in torrents. The electric storm pre-
scented the same general features as
here. The wind, however, was
much more violent, and with inter
missions blew in great strength
from every direction. Several
buildings were damaged, and young
hickory trees actually twisted of
by the wind. The growing crops
were Frustrated by the wind, and
beaten into. the ground by the rain
and hail. But the most singular
phenomenon and one which was
not Youchsafed to any other COM
mInity, was a shower of snakes.
We have heretofore read OF show
ers Of sand, of fish, and sometimes
of flesh, but never before of q show
or of snakes; and yet we are well
assured thatthe phenomenon which
occurred on last Friday night can
be. described in no more fitting
terms. asasst tial5l "a i.Flif
On Saturday and Sunday last,
every. ditch, brook and pool on the
Prairie north of Taylorville was
alive with nondescript creatures,
which have been described to us as
being from one and a half to two
feet long, and of three-fourths of
an inch to an inch in diameter.
This diameter is very slightly les
sened at the head and tail. The
tail is fiat, like that of an eel, but
has no eaudal fin; indeed there is
no fin at all. The head is, in shape,
that of an eel, but the mouth is that
of a sucker The eyes are small
and the ears are simply orifices.
Immediately behind the head, on
each side, is a ripper, like that of q
turtle, say three-fourths of an inch
to an inch in length, including the
limb, which has a perfectly devel-
oped joint. In color these snakes,
or whatever they are, are dark
hue. s .- ifs /
The number Of these creatures
is beyond all estimate. They swim
in every branch and puddle of
water. Their mode of progression,
in addition to the undulatory mo-
ton of snake in the water, is by
the use of the fiipper described
above, and they swim entirely un-
der the water or with the head and
a few inches of the body above the
surface, thus indicating that the
fippers are not absolutely essential
to motion. They are perfectly
harmless. Boys and men take them
from the pools by hundreds, and
they are brought to town for in
spection.
We are willing to admit that our
knowledge of ichthyology is not
sufficient to determine what they
are. Eels have teeth, are earniv-
erous, and some species are very
voracious and belligerent. These
creatures are of the genus. cyclop-
terus, or suckers, having no teeth,
and are evidently unprepared for
attack, and except by fight are de
fenceless. Furthermore they have
no fins, and their fippers are only
adjuncts, and not their principal
means of progression. They are
not serpents, as they want fangs,
either hooded or naked, which in
variably distinguish the order Of
ophidians.
We will not worry our readers
with any speculation on a subject
cOnfessedly beyond our knowledge.
We are promised some specimens,
which will be submitted to natural
lists of acknowledged ability, whose
opinions we shall lay before the
public. -Bs[E.F,fEF2. /
1t is the universal testimony of all
people of the country that no crea-
ture anything like those was ever
before seen by them. The size
renders it certain that they have
not been developed there, as it is
practically impossible that they
could have grown to that size with
out having been seen. 1t is quite
certain they were never there be-
fore the storm, and it is almost
equally certain the storm brought
them there. The storm which
passed over SO large an extent OF
country, and was so violent, un-
doubtedly gathered, as most of such
storms, in the vast plains of the
Northwest. 1t was a tornado, and,
in passing through the country,
disturbed the the usual atmospheric
and electrical conditions, so as to
produce, in addition to the central
tornado, a high wind, heavy rain,
and an electric storm. The more
plausible theory which occurs to us
as accounting for the presence OF
these fishes, is that the tornado pass
ing over some lake or river in the
immense unknown region Of the
northwest, drew up water, and with
it these animals, which are evident
ly amphibious. The tornado then
on its mission of destruction, pass
ing, perhaps, miles above the earth
and occasionally, as at Shipman.
striking the earth. Near Taylor
vile the central body of the storm
was dissipated, as is shown by the
fact that the wind blew in gusts
from all directions, and these crea-
lures fell to the earth to astonish
the people, and perplex the scien,
tifc.