Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-08-17
Florida Rattlesnakes.

A Florida hunter tells the following excel
lent snake stories
You may spend the whole winter fishing
and hunting in Florida, and not see a snake.
This is easily explained For years the pen
lnsula has been vast cattle range. During
spring and autumn, COW boys burn the prai-
ries and savannas to keep the grass fresh and
green. These fires spread to the scrub and
hammocks, and thousands of reptiles perish.
On walking over the blackened ground, it is
not uncommon to see the tail of a dead snake
protruding from a mole hole. Caught by the
fire in an effort to escape, he is burned to
death
OF the different species of snakes, only
two are thought to be poisonous. They are
the moccasin and the rattlesnake. Their
venom readily yields TO the whiskey treat
ment if taken in time, although this in a
measure depends upon the location Of the
bite. II is said that n man in Alachua coun-
ty died within five minutes after being bit
ten. The reptiles fangs hit him in the neck
while he was sleeping. and elected poison
into the jugular vein. Moccasins are divided
into four classes, the cotton-mouth, the
stump-tail, water moccasin, similar to our
water pilot, and upland moccasin, resembling
a copperhead in shape, and fully as deadly.
The rattlesnake is divided into two fami-
lies. The most virulent is the ground rattler
1t is between twelve and twenty inches long.
and not much larger than n common lead
pencil. 1t coils, springs its tiny rattle, and
jumps the same as its larger brother. Its
skin is bright black in color but the dia-
mond marks are not so clearly defined as in
the big rattler During the hot summer days
it lies under sand-sweeping palmetto fans, or
creeps into gardens and sleeps in the shade
of the cabbages and bananas. In clearing
up litter man might easily pick up one un-
awares.
The genuine rattlesnakes grow to mon
strous size, and their colors are more bril-
liant than those of the Northern species
| They have been killed twelve feet long, and
as large round as stovepipe. Capt Devall,
of Palatka, AYERS that he saw one, twenty
odd years ago, with forty-seven rattles. In
credible as tnis may seem, Col Pratt, of the
Palatka Herald, declares that he has seen one
with fifty-two. These serpents frequent high
sandy ridges, and occasionally lurk in gardens
and in plowed fields. They have even been
known TO make their way into barns and
houses. The beach scrub, where seldom
burned, is alive with them. Some monsters
have been killed on Anastasis Island, oppo-
site St. Augustine. In the spring 1 have
counted in one day, on the beach between
Canaveral and Indian River inlet, ten freshly
| shed skins.
|
| found near it. If the body of the dead rep
tile is dragged through the house or across
cattle-pen, its mate is pretty sure to take up
the trail and follow it. Through the winter
these snakes are dormant They live in holes
made by the gopher and the land turtle, and
are concealed in many Of the old coquina
ruins dotting the eastern coast. As the sum-
mer approaches, they pair off and hunt in
couples. The numberless trails in the scrub
and savannas made by deer, coons, wildcats,
and offers, are their favorite lurking places
Here they lie IN ambush, and many an un-
fortunate rabbit and opossum falls under
their fangs.
Nor are the low savannas and salt water
marshes free from these great snakes. Last
summer, as Judge Connor, of Live Oak Hill,
was crossing the wide open prairie at the
head OF Indian River, he saw a plump gray
| squirrel cutting queer antics on spot of bare
| sand. As the sand was fully mile from any
! tree, and covered with salt water six months
IN the year, the Judges curiosity was ex-
cited. To use his own words, ''the squire
was jumping around right smart, and ap-
peared as if he didn't know what TO do with
hisself Its attention was not distracted by
the Judges approach, for it continued pran-
cling over the sand in concentric course, as
though crazed. The Judge walked up with
was confronted by an enormous rattlesnake.
1t was stretched ont in the wire grass sur
rounding the sand, with its head toward the
squirrel. On seeing the Judge it threw it.
self into coil and made q noise like that of
buzz saw. Its tail ratified with terrible
earnestness. The squirrel ceased his antics
and sat up on the sand as motionless as q
statue. Finding neither stick nor stone on
the prairie, the Judge tried to scarce the
snake by threatening gestures. These in
censed the reptile. 1t reared both crest and
tail, darted out its forked tongue, and jump
ed fully eight feet toward the Judge. He
then got angry and threw clods of earth and
grass. AT this the serpent flew into an un-
governable rage. Apparently aware that
there was no dangerous weapon within REACH
it ran straight for the Judge as though it
meant to close with him. 1t finally became
so active that Connor was glad to leave it.
As he walked away it resumed its position,
and the squirrel began his dance of death,
charmed by lis buzzing music. The Judge
says that the snake was certainly nine feet
long. The mystery is, how came the squir-
rel and its charmer on saltwater prairie a
mile from any tree?
More singular still, these rattlers have zen
seen swimming IL the salt water. DIR. Wal
lace, of Daytona, informs me that he has
to the main land at Castle Windy. Three
years ago Capt. Neil, of New Bedford, one of
Swift's hve-oak superintendents, met mon
ster near Mosquito Inlet going out with the
tide. The snake espied Capt Neil's boat,
and made desperate effort to board her. |
The captain beat it off with the oars, but the
fight lasted two or three minutes. The ser
pent. at last disabled, driited away with the
current, and was finally swallowed by q
shark.
The large rattlers are said to follow herds |
of cattle. Cowboys say that they smell the |
milk dropping from the udders of the cows, |
and take up the trail with view to milking |
them. This is done while the cows are lying |
on the ground chewing their cuds. When |
the serpent takes the teat in its mouth, the |
COW stops chewing and becomes as still as
death. Thus she remains until the scaly |
thief Is satisfied. She seems to know that |
the least motion would be fatal One snake |
has been known to milk two COWS success
sively
In the fall when palmetto berries are ripe,
the rattler crawls to the top of the tree, and
hides beneath its dark green fan. The ber-
rles attract the cardinal grosbeaks, bulfnch-
es, mocking. BIRDS and paroquets, and they
fall under the internal magnetism of the
snake
not invariably bite person. Bethune, an
old Indian river mail carrier, while deer
hunting last summer, stepped square on a
rattler. He felt 1t yield and move under his
feet, and then heard its omnous humming
he jumped nearly ten feet, and turned rs
white AS a sheet, but he says that the snake
made no effort to bite him.
The enemies of the rattlesnake include the
hog, the deer and the eagle. The hog
thrusts his fat chops into the snakes face
meekly receives its bite, seizes the reptile by
the neck, places its hoofs on its body and
tears 1t asunder. No blood is drawn, the
poison is harmless in the fat, and the porker
gets a iair meal. A drove of hogs will clear
the widest country of rattlesnakes. When
buck sees Il rattler he springs upon it like
lightning, bringing his feet together upon its
head and body, thus cutting it to pieces for
the hoofs of Floridian deer are as hard and
sharp as razor. An eagle kills the snake
while 1t is summing itself. He descends with
the velocity Of an arrow, striking the reptile
with such force as to sever the yertebr@.
But the deadliest foe of the rattler is the
common black snake. He is public bene-
factor, and ought to be protected by the State
legislature, even if he does pick up chicken
or two occasionally. He grows very long,
and, unlike his Northern compeer, never as
sails a human being. The rattler fears and
| shuns him and well he may, for the black
snake Is as agile and quick as the handspring
of watch, and as full of fight as bull dog.
Meeting his antagonist he attacks without
delay. After coiling and sounding an alarm,
the rattler keenly watches its assailant. At
| first the black snake glides slowly around its
| spiral enemy, as though studying its weak
points. lie frequently misses and increases
his speed with each cycle. ever keeping an
| eye on the rattler. The latter twists its
| head with every revolution of its assaiant.
Swifter sweeps the black snake around in the
circle. At the full bent of his speed the rat
| tier grows dizzy. In twinkling he il
caught 10y the throat, and the coils of the
two snakes are interminPled. The contest is
decided by main strength. As they writhe in
the grass the superior prowess of the black
snake is manifest. The rattler is slowly
strangled. Sometimes its body is swallowed.
but this does not always follow. The coach