Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1877-06-13
Strange BedfeIlows.

No one Who has had experience with
rats--and who hasn't ?-need be told
that, vermin as they are, they are not
lacking in courage when cornered. But
the most ardent believer in a rats
fighting abilities would hardly think Of
pitting even the blacklist and bravest Of
the Norway persuasion againsta heal
thy, poison-puffed rattlesnake. True,
the serpent is slow coach at best, and
so long as an opponent keeps out OF
striking distance nothing is to be feared.
But once he fastens fang on any iy-
ing creature, except it be a pig or a
mungoose, that creatures days are
popularity supposed to be numbered.
As for rats and mice, they are food for
even the mildest of snakes, in the ordi-
nary course of nature, and even SO in
nocent constructor as the black snake
makes no furry in lunching on full
grown squirrels. There are exceptions
to most rules, however, and within a
small wire-eloth covered packing box
in the store of a prominent Boston
manufacturing firm is now being eXem-
plifed one of the most curious Of these
exceptions. A short time since one of
the members of the firm spent few
weeks hunting in Florida, and on his
return he brought with him a monster
rattlesnake, the gift ola friend. His
snakeship measures about five feet in
length and has a body the size of a
mans arm, the white, yellow and
brown Of his cuticle blending rather
beautifully in patches of various forms.
The heavy. triangular head, character
istic Of venomous reptiles, has sinister
expression and, in moments of excite
ment, the five rattles on his tail keep
up an unpleasantiy suggestive whirring,
while a forkcd tongue Of inky blackness
and surprising length darts angrlly from
his turtle-like mouth. He is no sleepy,
half-starved fellow, as may readily be
imagined, but wide awake and ready for
an encounter Of any kind. 1t was into
the cage occupied by this snake that
three days since rather small sized
wharf rat was introduced, in the ex-
pectation that the rodent would form a
meal for the stranger. The ophidian
monster seemed to think so, too, for he
darted on the unwilling visitor and
caught him by the neck. The rat, who
had hitherto been running around the
cage trying to get out, gave a sharp
squeal as he felt the serpent's fangs,
and, twisting himself about, buried his
teeth in the scaly jaw Of the aggressor.
The snake writhed and twisted and
ratified sharp notes Of alarm as the rat
kept his sharp incisors at work, and be-
fore the spectators could fairly compre-
bend what had happened the little
quadruped had shaken himself loose
and was hopping in alright at the
further end of the cage for means of
exit. To the surprise Of all he showed
no effects of poison, and when the snake
again made a grab at him he met his
creeping foe half way and shipped off a
piece of his long forked tongue. This
seemed to be rather more than the
Floridian had bargained for, and he
dragged himself into a corner, cast
down and defeated. Since that time
the rat has fiourished in his strange
quarters. He capers over the body OF
his whilom enemy, and avoids the
punch Of stick by creeping under the
head of the snake. The rat seems per-
fectly indifferent as regards the reptile,
and when the latter, reused to high
degree of anger by outsiders, makes a
strike at him, he hardly takes the trou-
bic to dodge, and only bites back when
the RATHER is unusually offensive. 1t is
singular condition Of things, and the
rats immunity from death can not very
easily be accounted for.