The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1874-01-29
HOOP SNAKES
The Probable Organ of the myth-Curious
Discovery.

DisrobcEets
II isa common belief in the rural districts of
many of our States that there exists Tor cxistcd)
Il serpent called the "hOOp SNAKE" which, having
no faugs, is supplied a substitute with a sting
in it's tail 1t derives it's name from the alleged
peculiarly of forming circle by touching its
head to its tail, and rolling over the ground with
great rapdity. 1t is moreover affirmed that if
1t stTkes its sting into u tree, the tree will die.
Scientific men have killed plants b. inoculatIug
them with poison from the fanes of snakes, but
the stories about the hoop snake are general
IN regarded by them as fabulous There appears,
however, to he good ground for thinking the
popular idea TO be founded Oh fact, however
much it may be exaggerated.
A respectable young physician of Eastern Ohio
brought to the Gazette Office one day, box con-
tanning a snake about two and half feet long,
which he had captured in hunting excursion in
West Virginia. The reptile was of light flesh
cOlOrs, with pink eyes and a dark gray line run
ming along the back. Its neck was much small
Ter than the rest of the body, giving it somew hat
the shape of one of the long German cologne
bottles. Its tail had been crushed off in getting
il ont of a pile of rocks, into which it had fled
from its captors, but our visitor told us that pre-
vOus to this it crawled into tree. On being drir-
en- down it struck the huntsman's dog with its
tail, and the animal died in a very few minutes.
gentleman familiar with West Virginia ami
mails and reptiles informs MS that he has seen
this variety of snake which of late years has bt :
come rare; that it is probably the variety known
rs the hoop snake, for, though not actually trun-
ding itself along, it raises its body in very
high arch as it moves. In addition to its sting,
being strong enough to crush small animals and
birds in its folds. The specimen shown to us
manifested this popularity, and would Irvine
around its captOr's arm, as he told ms, andsqueeze
it guite tightly. Its head, unlike that of other
fanged snakes, was not Fat or triangular, but
quite round on the top.
The Rev. Edward Fontauc, in his lecture on
"The Physical Geography of the Mississippi Riv-
er" describes two dangerous kinds of sting snakes,
differeing materially in appearance frem the one
of which we have given an account. He says:
They have been found in Pontotoc and CaahO-
ma counties, Mississippi and in Travis County,
Texas l had two of them in my possession in
ST. Mary's Parish, Louisiana, and they are nu-
merOus on the banks of the Lower Mississippi in
Plaquemines Parish. One variety is shining,
brown, black reptile, abont five feet in length
and five inches in circumference, when fully
grown, with small head and large neck. I'm
derneath the body is marked like backgammon
board, or tasselated pavement, with alternate
squares of reddish yellow and black. While
crawling, or lying basking undisturbed, the tail
looks like that of most other snakes, long and
taperinG hut slightly plunted at the point; but
when it is irritated it thrusts out keen black
sting two and halfinches in length, with which
it strikes instantly, like the sting ray, with
great accuracy and force.
Another variety is found in the delta of Loui-
siana, one of which was sent by Judge Mclhenny
to the Academy of Sciences of New Orleans. He
resides upon Avery's Island. in st. Nary's Par
ish, where he discovered it, and where he has
since found specimens of the black kind Ii is of
a golden yellow color, banded with black slash
es, which gives it hideous appearance. But
few can look upon the hedions reptile, five feet
long and six inches in circumference, armed with
a sting two and a half inches long, strong and
keen a sailors needle, without shuddering
sensation of antipathy aud dread
| described these snakes to Prof Agassiz in
October. 1868, and be told me that he had never
heard of them, except in the popular legends of
the ignorant, about hoop snakes, which are based
upon the real existence of these reptiles. They
are certainly capable of inficting mortal wound
upon man or beast, yet have never known
single individual killed or wounded by one.
Mr.. Fontaine says that neither of these reptiles
resemble the jointed snake, harmless creature,
which has horny cartilage at the end of its
tail. We have seen speckled adder which had
a small claw, like cats, at the end Of its tail;
whether poisonous not are unable to saw
1t is quite evident from the facts given above
that there is more foundation for widely spread
idea respecting the hoop snake tlian the learned
have been willing to coneede.-CiRciHRah Gazette.