The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1872-11-29

} May last, DIR. Cotton caught, at Prospect
, in Giles county, Tennessee, "a rattlesnake
four feet three inches long and five
inches in circumference. When cap.
|, tured, il had eight rattles and button.
Since that time, 1t has been confined In
glass case. It has not partaken of one
particle of food, though it has been
tempted with mice and other small an
imals on which the reptile is accustom.
ed to feed. The snake manifested no
Inconvenience from its confinement,
nor did IL lose any in size or bodily vi
tality. Its eyes continued to glsten
like magnetic steel, and its lancinating
fangs to protrude at the appearance of
any one near the case. DIR. Cotton
thought all the while it was q male.
Though small mice and rats have been
confined in the case with the snake un-
til their own hunger urged them to bite
at its scaly hide, the serpent refused to
give them notice or partake of food.
| On two or three occasions 1t has taken
small quantities of water. One day, at
one o'clock, on going into the back
room of the store, where the ease is
kept, 1t was discovered that the snake
had given birth to four young snakes,
and by three o'clock she had given
birth to three more, making seven in
all. The young snakes made their ap.
pearance one at a time, and in coiled
or striking position, their eyes glisten.
Ing and their envenomed tongues con-
tinually darting out. The young ones
are each from nine to fifteen inches In
length, and in state of perfect devel-
opment. They are quick of motion,
and possess no ordinary spinal vitality,
as they crawl readily to the top of the
case, with celerity across and around it
from end to end. What is most singular
and contrary to all the received notions
concerning the reptile, each of these
young snakes has full button on the
tail, which clearly refutes the idea that
they have to be six months old before
the formation of the button. The old
snake was lying in her case in a lethar.
gic state, with some indications, as the
doctor thought, of increasing the coil
ing family. The young snakes coil
around her, and under and over her,
and she seems to have for them the ma.
ternal affection of instinct. This snake
has been in captivity nearly four
months, yet during all that period she
has not partaken Of IL morsel of food,
and has brooded her seven young. AS
to exactly how long from inception the
process of CESSATION or incubation has
been going on, there is no means OF
ascertaining, as we can only date from
her captivity. DR.. Cotton informs us
that he once before kept in the same
case large.sized rattieSnake for three
years and nine months, and that he
studied closely its various moods and
changes. This snake, he says, did not
partake of a particle of food for the first
nine months, and but little water. He
then gave it mice, rats, etc., putting
the same into the case alive; and it
commenced devouring them voracious-
ly. 1t never would touch tame mouse
or dead one, fresh as it might be.
When young rat was put into the
case, it would plant its unerring fang
in some part of the limb or body, and
then wait until it died from the
thorough inoculation of the poison.
When quite dead, it would turn it over
teke it head foremost, and swallow it,
evidently drawing nutrinent from the
poison its own fangs had infused. 1t
shed its skin twice year-each spring
and autumn-anew rattle appearing at
each shedding, which explodes the pop
ular notion that but one rattle comes
year.