The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1878-11-01
LAND AND W4TER SNAKES.
[From the P.,puIar Edncn,nr.l

DoWh among the Seaweed stems and
pointed rocks We perceive a long, black,
! tangled string, like giants leather boot
lace SET to- soak. Let us trace 1t in It's va
IiouS folds aud twists, and diSentangIe
some of them. We shall then have in
hand a tough, slippery, India rubber-like
substance, which might well be Irunuun
ced a sea string, aud clasSed with the long
trailing weeds among which we had found
it. y sea string it Is, but not a weed : III
fact, living lasso, capable of consuming
the prey it encluSes wIJhin its tIeacheruus
folds. From twenty To thirty feet is no
uncommon length Tor this arfIi, animated
fishing line 10 reach, but its diameter rare
" exceeds eighth of an inch. 1t has a
mouth, however. capable of considerable
disrenliou a holding power. What car
appear moro innocent than this delicate
looking creeper trailing here and there as
the beaviHg water sweilS and flows as the
tide comes in? Let an unwdIy tube dwell
er. luiled into u false security, stretch forth
IFS tentaCles to meet the welcome wave,
ahd pointed head is adroilly iusinuated.
. The mouth effects its tenacious grasp on
the yielding TISSUES, and the tenant of the
tube becomes fuud for the Nemsrtes B0rles-
sit, for such Is the name OF the cord-like
free bonier.
Mr. K.ugsbury appears 10 have more than
ordinary interest in the habits Of this
strange creature. Speaking of it, he in
qnIrrg Is t alive? ? IL hangs helpless aud
motiOnleSS, Il mere velvet string across the
hand. Ask the neighboIing aunelides
aud the fly OF the rock fishes OF put IL IN
a vase at home, aud see. Ii lies motion
less, trailing itse lf among the gravel. You
cannot tell where it begius or ends Il
may he a strip uf dead sea awoOd -HimanM
dkta t0red or Ch0rdG fltt1, OJ even a tar
red string. So thinks tue little fish who
plays over It, till he touches at last what *
too surely head. In an Instant a bell
shaped sucker mOutl. has faS' eIIed 10 its
side in another instant, from one lIp, "A
cuncave dunJle prOboscIS, Just like "a Ia
piT's (anOther instance of the repetition uf
furms), has clasped him like a fmger-
7 Anc NOW begins ;he Struggle, but in vain
[ He is being played with such fishing rod
as the skin OF "A Wilson, Or Studdard never
could invent; a living line, with elasticity
beyond that of the most delicate ily-tods
which follows every iunge, Shortening aud
( lengl hening, slipping aud twisting Iuuud
every piece of gravel and stem or seawe eed
. with Il tirIng drag, such no Highland
wrist ur step could ever bring To bear cu
salmon or trout. The victim Is Tired now
and slowly yet dexteIOuSly his b,inC as
+ saIlaut is feeling aud shifting along his
/ side il!l he reaches one end uf him and
/ then the black lips expand and slowly aud
suuely the curved finger begins packing
.
/ where he sinks inch 10y inch till the swell
/ ing which marks his place is lost among
the coils, and lie is probably macerated
/ into pulp long before lac has reached the
opposite extremity. Once safe duwu, the
black murderer contracts again into a
knotfed heap, aud lies like boa with
stag inside him, mutiunless and blest,
LF'om the F"1t Retd Crescentl
We are informed 10y Nj. Long, Of BTe-
vard county, Fla, that while driving hIs
OK team near Fort Dunn, in that county,
his oxen shied aud ran out of the road.
Seeing something raise It's head and a
movement in the glass. MIR. LUug, after
stopping his team, went back To see what
it was. Upon approaching the object he
beard great TustlIug aud rafting, which
convinced him that il wds a rat,lesnake,
but he could not see it bccause of tile pal
metto aud high grass, until it threw itself
iuioa coil aud stood nearly as high as him
self. lie was almost dumbiuuuded at see
ing such a monster and hastily retreated,
but suOn summoniug up courage, lie ad-
vaHccd near enough to be within reach of
the reptile with his long COW whip, winch
he knew how to handle. With this wca
pom he opened the conflict, which lasted
Learly fifteen minutes, Mr.. Long keeping
out of reach uf the snake, but still near
enough TO strike it with his COW whip,
which was about eighteen feet long
Finally MIR. Long began to feel sick and
weak from the excitement, as well as from
the musk emitted from the snake, and,
putting In two or three rapid rokeS with
his whip, he reireated toward his cart, but
tainted before he reached it. Upon Gem
ing to his senses again, he fund that he /
had killed the snake. Mr.. Long had no |
means of measuring its length but hy his /
cow whip, which was eighteen feet long, |
aud The suake lacked about two and a /
half feet Of being as long rs the whip. Ii |
bad thiIty eight rattles and bntinn. lie 1
says that IL ''was as large around as big 4
blue bucket" Mr.. Long is one Of the 4
most reliable men Of his section.
IFrom the Kennebec JoiTHGll
The inhabitants of Wmslow, Me, on the 1
banks of the Krnnehec RIVER. are very !
much excited over the appearance in than
town of huge snake. y few days ago /
Mrs Smiley walking IN the woods IN 1
in the vicinity Of her home, when she saw
what she at first supposed to be n large /
spotted snake of the common variety, FIRE
gurnily seen ia tine fields, but which was /
really only the tail Of a reptile which, she
says, must have been eight or ten feet in
length. The snake was coilcd around
tree, and hIs head, with distended Jaws aud /
fui ked iongne dating in fiighiful man
ner, was projecting over a limb above Mrs /
Smiey's head. The lady ran for life. 4
neighOuI'S house was bat a shout distance
away, aud rushing in, Mrs Smiley fcll /
iaiuting upon line floor. She SAYS the /
snake followed her nearly tO the house (
The Sunday following (which was last
Sunday week. a. son of Deacon Palmer
WAS walking 30 chnIch his attention was
attracted to the stone wall beside the road, 1
and on the top of the wall, hasking in the 4
sun, lay monster srake and two smaller. l
Nh. Palmer says the largest one must have
heen ten feet in length. lie ran back
shnit distance to procure assistance. but
when lie IetuinCd the reutils bad disap- 1
peared. Several parties have been out
hunting the snake f0F the past few days,
but without SUCCESS.
tFroRa ths 81. Lots's Republican
One day last week, while Mr.. Boone and i
MIR. ia Thomas were ont ia the woods /
near P:atisburg. Mo. engaged in chopping. /
VIZ. Roone, saw a large black snake run 1
inie hollow log. He told Mr.. Thomas 4
ahoUt il, and the latter went To the end of |
the bog 10 peep at the serpent. Inst about I
this time the reptile dashed ont, and be /
l9re Nj. FhnmNs could move, was securely