The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-04-04
Rattlesnakes and Their Habits.

Ordinarily, the rattlesnake is extreme
ly sluggish. and unless molested ther,
| is little to fear from it during the great
er portion of the year. just before anC
/ Just after its winter sleep, however, it il
more active, and often assumes the
| offensive. In order to strike, it must
lie in a close coil, with its head an6
neck erect. In this position it throws
itself forward about three-fourths its
length, supporting its weight entirely
upon the remaining fourth. When mo
Tested or alarmed, or when about to at
tack, the rattle is violently shaken; but
practically this serves little purpose as
a warning, since when excited the
| creature strikes at the intruder with the
| quickness of lightning, and almost
simultaneously with the sound of the
rattle. The statement that the noise of
the rattle is peculiar, and once heard
will never afterward be mistaken, is
emphatically denied, the writer averring
that he has known the opinions of those
who have frequently heard the sound
" divided as to whether a certain omin-
GUS clicking arose from the grasshop-
pers, which were there in great num-
bers, or a rattlesnake. Contrary to
the common belief, the reptile also
leaves it's hole and moves about after
sundown. not seldom crawling into
tents, and even into beds, during the
night The notion that venomous
snakes do not bite twice in immediate
succession is also pronounced erroneous,
the writer mentioning a case where he
saw the rattlesnake strike three times
with electric quickness, each time leav-
ing the marks of its tangs ON the trou-
sers of the person attacked.
But with all it's quickness and irrita-
bility, the snake frequently refuses to
bite, even when crowded to the closest
quarters. 1t is related that often when
trod on it fails to retaliate and one re-
markable instance is given where a gen.
tleman on coming out of the river
Platte after bath, and entirely naked,
sat down upon rattlesnake, and dis
covering his mistake suddenly resumed
his legs, without suffering any harm
beyond a severe fright. The peculiar
odor of the rattlesnake is vouched for,
and we are told that when one is irri-
tated and made to bite the rake or hoe
with which it is intended to kill him,
the implement will retain the same I'M
pleasant smell for months. Once known,
the Odor is always recognizable.
The bite of the rattlesnake, accord
ing to this observers experience, is
neither so rapidly fatal nor so incur
able as most people suppose. OF 80
persons bitten by the rattlesnake, he
states that all recovered but one, and he
lived tweive days after the accident
Of the whole 30, this was the only case
Ill, l.
whether it was the bite or the advice
that killed the patient we are not in
formed.
Whisky the writer regards as a speci-
fc for the bite of the rattlesnake, and
relates numerous instances which illus
trate the wonderful power of this agent
when admin stored in sufficient quaint
ty. 1t is well known to physicians that
persons suffering from disc ses attended
with severe pain will often tolerate
much larger doses of opium or other
than could otherwise be borne.
Persons poisoned by The bite of rattle
snake manifest a similar tolerance for
immense doses of whisky, quantities
sufficient to make we'll person stupid
ly drunk, or even to destroy life, often
producing no visible effect upon the
sufferer from snake-bite. Yet, to be of
any service to the patient, it is asserted
that he must be made thoroughly drunk
before it is safe to suspend the admins
tration of the remedy. A quart or
more of raw whisky is frequently re-
quired to bring about this condition /;
but when once it is attained, no further
danger need be apprehended.
While the rattlesnake is found spread |
over a large portion of North America, |
it is much more abundant in some To- |
calities than in others. Texas probably |
holds an infinitely larger proportion of |
these reptiles than any other State in |
the Union. The district lying between |
the Rio Grande and the Nueces, two |
streams which flow in the same direc-
tion and some 60 or 20 miles apart, is a
desert region, literally swarming with
poisonous serpents. ''In summer"
says our writer, "one cannot go so |
yards in this locality without seeing a
In other parts of the State
the mocasin is the prevalent snake
while centipedes, scorpionr, tarantulus,
and alligators infest various localities,
and are each terrible scourge."
All writers have hitherto concurred |
in saying that rattlesnakes are never
met with at an elevation of more than
{, 900 feet above the sea level. The
party of Mr. Morley killed |
of them last year at an eleva-
ton of about 5000 feet it is added,
however, that they were never found so
nigh before. The mountain snakes pos
,ess more vivid colors than their breth-
zen of the prairies, and of the two are
more dreaded on account of their suD- |
posed feroclty.-ApriI GALAXY.