The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-02-24


that there exists (or exi,ted) u setpen,
called , De "hoop snake" which having no
fsnga, Is supplied as substitute with h
sting in its tail. 1t derives its name from
the alleged popularity Of forming IA circle
by touching its head to its tail aud rolling
over tsc ground with great rapijity. 1t
is moreover afTirned, that if it strikes it,
ting ipto u tree, the tree will die Sciea.
tifo men have killed plants by iuoculstiug
them with poison from tho isngs u
snakes; but the etories about the hoop
snake are gebcrslly regarded by them D,
fabulous. There appe'a', however, to he
good ground for thinking the popular idea
20 be founded on fact. however much il
may be exaggerated.
A respectable young physician Of east
ern Ohio brought TO tho Gazette office,
one day. boz containing snake about
two and hall feet long, which he cap.
tured 10 hunting excursion in West
Virginia The reptile was Of light flesh
color,wirh pink eyes and Ozark gray line
running along the back, Its neck war
much smaller than the rest Of tho body,
giving it somcwhat the shape OF one OF
the long German cologne bottles. It,
tail had been crushed of in getting it out
Of pie OF rocks into which il had fed
irom its csptors, but our visitor told u
previous TO this it crawled into tree
Gu being driven jowu,it struck The hunts
mau'o dog with its tail, aud the ali,nsl
died 10 very few minutes.
A gentleman familiar with West Vir.
GINA animals and reptiles Informs Us that
he has seen this variety Of shake, which
Of late years has become rare, that it i,
probably the variety known az the HOOP
snake, for, though not actually truudIinp
Itself along. it raises it's body 10 a very
hi,h arch as it moves. la addition t.
its sting it has constructing power. being
9 rong enough to crush small animals and
birds 10 its folds. The specimen showl
to Us manifested this peculiarly. and
would twine around its cspror'e arm. ~
he told Us, aud, squeeze it quite tightly
Its head. unlike that of other iangec
snakes, was not fat nor triangular, blu
quite round on the top.
Rev. Edward Foutaine. ip his lectur,
on The Physical Geogr ply of tn,
Mississippi River" describes two danger
Gus kinds Of sting snakes. differing ma
terially ia appearance from the ooe o
which We have given au account. IL
says: They have been found in Ponto
{ Q aud Waboma ccuoties, Mississippi
aud in Travis county, Texas. Ihad tw,
Of them in my possession in Austin, il
1862. They had also been found il
St. Mary's parish, La, and they ar,
numerous on the banks Of the lowe
Mississippi, in Plaquemine parish. Ou
variety is n shining brown, black reptile
about Eve feet in length aud five iuche
10 circumference, when fully grown. will
small head aud large neck. Under
meath, the body is marked like a back
gammon board or teSsclaied pavement
with alternate squares Of reddish yellow
and black. While crawling, or Lynn
bssking, undisturbed. the tail looks lik
that Of most others makes, long sud tsr.r
lug, but slightly bluucd at tho poiut
but when il is irritatod il thrUsts cut
keen black stiog two and half inches i
length, with which it strikes Instant
like tho sting ray, with grea, uccurac
aud force. Another variety is found i
the delta Of Louisiana. one OF which W.,
cent by Judge ilcLllheuny to the acsdem
Of sciences Of New Orleans. lie resid,
upon Avery's isaBdin St. Mary's parisi
wheieiho discovered it and whero it is {
golden yellow color, banded with j,
tlsck sBplashes, which give it hideo,
appearance. But few can look upon III
hldeous reptile, Eve feet long and 81
iDchesin circumference, armed with
sting two aud half inches long. s,rou
aud keen as a sailors needle, Without
shudderipg sensation OF antipaihy az
dread described these snakes 10 Pro
Aga,ss i, OSioocr, l87s.apd be told II
that he had ueser heard Of them. ezcrl
in the popular legends Of the ignora'
about hoop snakes, which arc based upC
the real existence Of lhere reptiles. The
are certainly capable Of ilalcling a mo
tal wound on man aud asst. Sc, ha,
never known single individual killed
wounded by one"
Mr. Fontaine says that neither OF the
reptiles resembles the joiu'ed snake.
harmless creature, which har a horn
cartilage at the end Of its tail. We ha'
seen speckled adder which had suns
claw. like II cats, at the end OF its tai
whether poisonous or not we ara unsb
to say. II is quite evident from the fac
given above that there is more ioundati
for widely spread idea respecting I,
hoop snake than the learned have he
willing to coucede.-C Cincinnati Gaset