New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-02-01
Hoop snakes,

| 1t is a common belief in the rural dis
tricts of many of our States that there ex-
| lists Tor exlsted) a serpent called the hoop
snake which, having no tangs is supplied
as a substitute with sting in it's tail. 1t
| derives its name from the alleged pecu-
| liarity OF forming "a circle by touching its
head to its tail and rolling over the ground
| with great rapidity. 1t is, moreover.
affirmed that if it strikes its sting into a
tree the tree will die. Scientific men have
killed plants by inoculating them with
poison from the fangs of snakes, but tho
stories about the hoop snake are generally
regarded by them as fabulous. There APP
pears however, to be good ground for think
ing the popular idea to be founded on fact
however much it may be exaggerated.
respectable young physician of Eastern
Ohio brought to the Ga-etie office one day
box containing a snake about two and
half feet long, which he had captured in
hunting excursion in West Virginia. The
reptile was of light flesh color, with pink
eyes and a dark gray line running along
the back. Its neck was much smaller than
the rest of the body, giving it somewhat the
shape OF one of the long German cologne
bottles. Its tail had been crushed OFT in
getting it out of a pile of rocks, into which
1t had fled from its captOrs, but our visitor
told Us that previous to this it Crawled into
a tree. On being driven down it struck the
died 10 very few minutes.
a gentleman familiar with West Firgins
animals and reptiles, inf0rms us that he has
seen this variety of snake, which of late
years has become rare; that it is probabS?
the variety known as the hoop snake, for,
though not actually trundling itself along.
it raises its body in very high arch as 10
moves. In addition to its sting, it has con
strictlon powers, being strong enough to
crush small animals and birds in its folds
The specimen shown to lis manifested this
popularity, and would Irvine around his
captor's arm, as he told us, and squeeze i.
quite tightly. Its head, unlike that OF other
Hanged snakes, was not fiat or srlangulays
but quite round on the top.
The Rev. Edward Fontaine, 10 his lecture
on The Physical Geography of the Missis-
sirai River, describes two dangerous kinds
OF sting snakes, differing materially ~
appearance from the one of which we Sa..
given an account. He says
They have been found in Pcntotoe an}
Wahoma counties, Mississippi, and i'll Ira
SIS county, Texas. | had two of them in ms
possession in Austin, in 1852. They haas.
also been found in ST. Mary parish, Louis-
ana, and they are numerous on the banks IS
the lower Mississippi, in Plaouelnines pa:-
lsh. One variety is n shining, brown black
reptile, about five feet long and five inches
IN circumference when fully grown with .
smaiS head and large neck. Underneath.
the body is marked like "a ackgammop
boards or tasselated pavement, with aIteLs
mated squares of reddish yellow ans bIacL.
w bile crawling, or lying basking undis-
tutbe'S the tail looks like that of most othep
snakes long and taperings but slightly
biunted at the point; but " hen it is irritate,s
It thrusts out keen, black sting. two and %
half inches III length. with which j. strikes
instantly, like the sting rave with great a.
curacy and force.
Another variety is found in the delta pf
louisiana, one OF which was sent by Judg.
Mciihenny to the Academy Of Sciences OF
New Orleans He resides upon Avery's
Island, IN st. Mary parish, where he dis
covered 1t, and where he has since found
specimens of the black kind 1t is of q
golden yellow color, banded with black
'plashes, which gives it a hideous appear
ance. But few can look upon the hideous
,epilie, nVe ftet lor z and six inches in c!rcum-
ference, armed with sting two and half
inches long, strong and keen as a sailors
leeaie, without a shuddering sensation of
and dread.
| described these snakes to profassor
4 gassiz in October, 1868, and he told me
nat he had never heard OF them except in
lac popular legends Of the ignorant about
loop snakes, which are based upon the real
existence OF these reptiles. They are GER
AMY capable of intlicting mortal wound
lpon man or beast, yet have never known
/ single individual killed or wounded by
me.
MT tontalne says that neither of these
eptiies resemble the jointed snake, harm
ess creature, which has "a horny cartilage
It the end of its tail. We have seen a
pee kled adder which had a small claw, like
cats, at the end of its tail; whether poi.
onous or not we are unable to cay. 1t is
lulte evident, from the facts given above.
nat there is more foundation for a widely
pread idea respecting the hoopsnake than
he learned have been willing to concede