The sun., 1873-06-24
DEADLY SNAKES AND HOGS.
WHY TENOMOTS REPTTLES DO YOT
IIOTRISH HERE
The NcHson Indn il Infested with snakes
Reptiles Driving Army Bnck-Thc
American Pioneers Best Fricud-A Fight
between ~ SOW aud u Kutilesuuke.

]
Reptiles Driving mn Army Bnck-Thc
American Pionecr's Best Fricud-A Fight
between u SOW aud u Kuttlesunke.
! \, ne tHio, NJ T6c Vgp.
SIR: An editorial published in THE SrN
| II June H. ON the subject uf the terrible NOR
/ taliiy from snIkc bites iu ludii. disclosed some
/ startling facts; the most surprising Of which IA
! the trca' number + PERSONS who perish aunu-
alll In British India from attacks hy these rep
! tile, one authority avcrrng that "iu some We It's
many a. twenty thousand people are killed
! by snakes ia Hind -ton alnuc."
| From what We read OF India, II would seem
/ that the most dcnscly popI1tcd parts Of that
country are the most infested wi II poisonous
| rcutilc.; in other words, where there are the
most T. 'oplc there the greatest number ~ snakes
/ are o. be found. Exactly the reverse Of this IL
| the case In America. so f,,r as our own country
| extends. for here the more numerous the popu-
! lation, the fewer the snakes IT the fatal kind.
Though we have prob1'ly greater variety of
| deadly scrpcnts than exists IN any other quarter
! Of the globe. Among these may he enumerated
| the several species of m0ccasn, the coprerhcad.
and that purely American reptile, the rattle
snake, which VI Bunon in his article on l. srf-
psn' i soneiic, say inhahits nearly all tho coun-
| tries of the New world. Bcsidcs these and other
| varieties may bc noticed tho cotton mouth u
| the mar-hca ~ the Lower Mississ sippi, dark,
! short, muscular wiper, with the inside OF its
mouth lcrlrclly white, which turks in s,wamry
/ but Is quickly followed by cert ain death.
DANGEROUS strERsTTIoS.
There are two ways 81 accounting for the
/ the supcr,titious Vcneraiion of the lIndous fur
the most deadly scrpents, which leaves them
| unmolcsted. and enables them e. multiply
without limit Some such result as this must
also have been realized in ancient Egypt. where
| n sorts Of reptiles were W, rshiutrd Joscphus
tells Us that Moses was IN the military scrvirc II
Pharaoh befotc he quarrellyd with that poten-
Nnbnns his army WIS So hnrasscd hy the ser
pcnts. which swarued the line of his march IN
The Nile. that he lost more fucr Toy snake bites
an fr1m the darts OF the Nuhi,n-. lndecd.
Ia. army. acCurlint e. TN. authority. "n one ur
two occasions WIS nearly pat to rout 10y
Ncuomous snakes.
Ihr other aud moro con>incing reason Or the
vast numbers Of SuI Ikcs IN tud a H. the scarcity
ut hogs In country where the u" ~ swine
tlU4h ,s ur'hi litcd Is an article ut ud. Neither
,hc HWdoo nor the Nah"W' AN rvl-t"n per-
mit~ the eating ot rotl, in any furm. lhr cuun-
tty i. thus deprived of a most clicicnt auxiliary
Ia the de friction OF these p,StS. lhe % h"T IS
the mortal enemy pi Snakes. lite kilis them ne
ctu-r he hn'c1 them. and dcvuurs them whch
dead. Wherever the increase ~ TINS useiul
annual Is encouraged, he compcnsMes society
/ fHr it. protection uy thus ahnting harmful
u i.inrc. lint the Uind"o despi-es the hog
/ Will" hc tair'hi"o- the snake ana GET rcWAtd.d
/ for his preference hy his rae being st1nG to
death at the rae ~ twenty thousand annually
sNAkE pEsrRoYEirs.
7 The Nnrlu-SaVon or American differs from
r.. .,ct~ II" KILLS the sutkc aud fosters the
L.tlcruf the two. when the Anglo American
uuarrt. >cs the settlement of a new country ne
waut- three things above all others IN axe, a
ride. AND a hog. II hc chances to 10 int" the
WILDERNESS a.uup. however, the hog soon fol-
| lows ua an in vitahc consequence. just IN pro-
/ iutii IN a. the h"t inulupnS- am lu' 'tr'9,- ll
new y--ciilDd country, IN the san 81 ratio d. ser
not meant 20 he Implied thi any sue D. m"iNc
~ suAkc-k Hing enters into the calcul itious -
tnc IT. nl'yfs'n IN r-ini h9-1 10 T., . l',,'
u".-huorhund "a thought lie Kills them when
: thry COM in hi- way ana lori"tS thsn' ne
/ hog or- tne most oi tha' sort ~ witN. lr Us
: / a most Industrious furgCr, always roofing
around in quest "f something TO eat. III hs
ar @ .niEe % IN II. Iair .ySSI %H" a. s r. re INV woad
! urctor 90 Toe lett alone; bit The hug won't let
J. ! HIN alone, but snaps him between b. teeth,
/. : ciush.s. and d"vout- him.
y 'ihcra are also active en- mics n the snake 10
Z hc found among the tning, that are i,'i .i,"f'
! such a the deer the elk, Ac., which nil hN
! crushing him beneath their sharp hoofs But
,n,S. I'M, I IN thrr way. The hog roe- a, him VIA
| thr two folh incentive " DESTROYING nm enemy
and acyourin. him. Tho result Is the snakes give
| up ihc contest after hil, and glide on TO -oue
re-. ty t,stness or imrcnctrablc Ten. The hog Is
Is ,rrmciIt' Like The hero OF Greek fahlc he hi4
but one assa able spot which lies not in Iii heel
him on ibc main artery whcr, It uasse. through
, tur neck near the skin. the hog dies lf lac
amounts To- no moro than the prick Il nin
would. the virus taxi ne nD eject whatever The
Is quadlripci seems to bc aware OF tni- one dam
= lcr and 'ulrGs against u with the -hll 81 Ntte
. ran warrior.
DEADLY ENCOUNTER.
The writer once witness ed combat between a
SOW aud a rittlcsnake % the largest KIND, nj at
ten ION being attra' ted the scene 10y the angry
/, ! screams oi the nog. The snake lay ia coil he-
= ! meath spreading live oak, The broad. com
bdtiNc lac al wa raised rigidiy about siN inches
/. over his cued body, hls eyes, bright as da-
, I monds. flashing fury, and his forkcd tongue
: Il .rting defiance at his enemy. EScry muscle
i now In tcu-Ion. cuuld he traced beneath ms
X kin. while his tail slightly erected and tremu'
b.. lpu- With nervous energy, gave lorih from tht
tincring rattle AZ its extremity thrt peculiar
e sharp rim .iug sound "A person never iurgets who
= has heard II once. The SOW. Mith hiiStlcs erect
l, and fI-NS bare. Circlcd round the snake. cna1h
u ing her teeth, grunting and snarling at him with
u rt-c. She showed game, but nnthin- ltk" th'
a nerve 81 her ~tu"WN Antagonist lhc low made
8, diver- doinou~t trltions or tcints 10 which The
! Su.k. re- puu4'd hy striking from half coil, bu
= ctru tim" instantly rccpNr lng himself. NJ
length, the SOW coming within his reach, IN,
IS N Ne made desperate spring Of his entlr,
e. lDuth ia tcuug his iInEs in her iorc leg ~ she
e. spr..uc away from him. The SOW gave an tson
' IL Il ~tunu, hUt uuichlN di-cu-tscd herself. au'
before tna snake cuuld recover ni~ coil her { o
D., ou hi- neck. and tu another instant she hac
u snapped III ui- hrad. .
"a Tnr Nu-lu-Amcrcan l. distinguished ciyil
iZcr. ~ dOuuf, bat Dee could NOT well de- Wit pu
'i the hog. winch animal gives llu immunity IRON
- tAe bites uf deadly suL,o7. lt tAc liinduu dis
II card some # hl- absurd traditional pr, ,Juiicts
y and take the hog into favor.
p. WILLIAM l.. NoKvELL