Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-08-31
About Vipers.

This reptile is not nearly so terrible as
generally supposed. True i. possesses
romous fangs, and its bite is very dan
rous, though not often fatal. But with
true apsthy of its reptile nature, it is
~ unwilling to use its formidable YEA
ne and will at all times rather glide
Nv than bite. | have walked for days
Cetber through heath lands that sbso.
civ swarmed with vipers of all shades
c3l1r and all sizes. as my foot brushed
de the tufts of heather, a viper would
wi cut of them, and glide softly away;
gentle rustling would point cut the
b. where another had already taken
rm, and was escaping from The presence
the intruder Not once did viper
en Offer to attack me, though l must
ZEN have actually touched their bodies,
feel sure that unless | had actually
kdden ON, or in some way injured the
ptile it would not have attempted 10 use
fangs.
Duly once did see viper in the atti-
he of attack, and this was under Pc
lar circumstances. Knowing that |
4 an unaccountable interest in these
btiles, a man summoned up courage to
ng me young living viper. OF course
ala him, and then had the modification
finding that the poor rep lie was quite
abled, the man having crippled it by
bw from his stick before he dared to
kldle with it, When it was placed on
ground, it tried to crawl away, but
no unable to do so, erected the sound por-
IN of the body and stood on the def nsive,
liking at everytbing which came near it.
i this was simply acting on the defen
9. If it could have crept away, it would
We done SO; but being crippled, and I'M
e to escape, it endeavored to use its
gs as the only mode of protection. /
Ne seen the common grass-snake assume
imilarly meuacing attitude, and strike
If it possessed the poison fangs of the
Yer.
Few persons know how 10th poisonous
pent is to use its fangs, except for their
iimate object, that of taking prey. 1t
i endure very large amount of rough
hiding before it will strike, and rarely if
er will do so unless provoked The late
Waterton was so well aware of this
Il that he was accustomed to handle the
bst venomous snakes with perfect inn
hity He has been seen to take num-
of rattlesnakes from box, carry them
% another room, put them into a glass
e, and aftarward replace them in the
x. They sprang their rattle-a truly
brful southland Kissed, but made no
tempt to bite their captor. lie told me
lat any one could do the same, and that
lthe serpent were only approached very
ently, and taken up without being tightly
Fasped, it would not ev think of biting,
sluggish reptile nature not being suf
:iently reused. Acting on this principle,
hen he was in the wilds Of Guiana, he
listed his bare feet in places where the
ost deadly snakes in the world abound,
ID would take up, examine, and release
,ain serpents whose bite was Certain
.ath.
The same rule holds good with the
per. One of my friends, when boy,
(ught viper, which he took for harm
BIS snake. He chased and caught it in his
Ire hand, twisted it round his neck, and
bought it home. He then exhibited the
|ptiIe to his friends, laughing at their
lly at being afraid of so harmless rep
lie, and played all kinds of pranks with
\ the viper not using its frangs until he
yea IL IN KNOT ana uTeN III 50 tlgnI as 10
|nrt the creature. Its patience then gave
law, for which it could in no wise be
1alned, and it bit him in the hand, teach
him for the future to discriminate be-
Eeen viper ard harmless snake.
The reader may well learn here what he
bght to have known before. There is no
disability of mis- aking the two reptiles
hen the distinction is once known The
per has black, zigzAg pattern running
|ong the center of the back, looking like
BLACK chain; and on the head there is
Jack V, standing, we may suppose, as
(e initial Of Viper. The black chain
bwn the back is, however, an unfailing
|ode of detecting the viper, even if only
few inches of his body be visible
Psselgs Magazine.