Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-09-05

some PECULIAR SPECIMENS DESCRIBED
TARANTULAs-TBE TRAP-DooR SPIDEr
AND Hrs Domestic TROrBLEs.

Wniie al DerkteS last week a Teprescn-
tative of the Call CHANGED to meet J. j.
Rivers, the Curator Of the University Mu-
scum. who knows as much about bugs
and their kindred as DIR. Baehr, il not
more. and who is better posted on snakes
Of the truly rural varieties than any man
in California. The museum has quite a
collection Of California snakes. Of every
possible color. barred and spotted and
striped with crimson, ied and yellow and
all those somber hues which simulate the
color Of the ground On which they lie and
bask in sunlight until the unwary pick
nicker or pieknickess steps on them with
a scream.
.'Do you see that fellow up there 20
said Mr.. Rivers, pointing to huge red
snake some 10 feet long and 2 inches
thick, Of the kind known a. a gopher
snake. I'D rather have that fellow on
my farm-if | had farm-than so.
You would be astonished at the amount of
vermin ofall kinds they can get away with
-gophers, rabbits, squirrels. birds-any-
thing, In fact. that he is big enough to get
himself outside Of. and t.iat means a good
deal. although you might not think it to
look at him.
You are aware, suppose. Of the pc
culiar construction Of the lower Jaw. It
can be unhinged. so to speak, and then
the snake is nothing more than long
sack with the mouth open. have watched
one of them stow away a squirrel--iong
tail and all-without making anv bones
about it. He commenced at the head and
slowly drew the squirrel in bit by bit. his
teeth and jaws working on the animal
somewhat as man draws in a rope hand
over hand. Finally the body was safely
housed, then only the tail renained-that
slipped down in the twinkling of an eve
| never realized until then why snakes
were made so long-it is 10 make room
Tor the announcement tails Of the other ami
mails predestned to be snake-meat In an
improved state of existence, when the tails
have been cvolutionized off the backs of
the other animals, probably snakes will
be cut shorter"
do they lick their prey smooth, IA the
boa-constrictor is said TO do, to make il
slip down easily"
No. they take il straight and without
any attempt at seasoning of that kind. All
these California snakes. however, with the
exception Of rattlesnakes, are constructors,
They kill their prey by crushing it. Have
you ever seen gopher trying to catch "A
dove by taking "a mean advantage of its
maternal instincts in nesting time' No
well. the snake will squirm up the prickly
stem Of a cactus plant until it gets near
the nest. which is usually not very high,
and then long and bitter fight be-
gins begins between the dove and its
mate on the one side, and the snake on
the other. The former don't always get
the worst of 1t. either. ! have seen dove
knock a snake clean off cactus branch to
the ground with n blow of its wings, and
then the snake c'awled away, as il he did
not want any more of that. But it gen
orally ends the other way-thc doves keep
up an angry, terrified screaming and but
letting with their wings until they are tired
out. and the snake just bides his time in
deadly silence until he can catch some
part Of the doves body in his mouth.
The dove never moves after that-he
seems completely paralizcd, rs it were
"IIe does not kill it with his fangs?''
mo; he simply and slowly winds one
deadly coil after another round athe dove
untitlt body is completely enveloped in
his folds. and then one single scraunch
does the business"
Don't they sometimes kill animals that
are useful or harmless on a farm ?''
Very seldom. The birds which they
kill are not MANY after all. and they are
the most harmless animals they kill. The
hurttul vermin which they destroy in the
course of II year is incalcuable. A little
discriminating knowledge of this kind
would be very useful to farmers There
are numbers of insects. for instance. which
they now class as their enemies. simply
because they are bugs. which are entirely
useful. 4 State entomologist will be a
very useful oflicer-that is. il he knows
his business, aud If the office is not made
simply the reward of some political
worker.
"Are there any venomous snakes in Cali
fornia besides the rattlesnakeP"
mo. there are none. When | am out
hunting specimens simply catch any kind
of snake in my hands except rattle
snake and him catch in my butterfly net
Rattlesnakes differ from the others in their
method of killing their prey. | have
watched one of them killing "A rat, He
struck him two or three times with his
iangs. and the rat died in a few minutes,
after kicking convusively for an instant
or SO. After he had struck the rat the
snake drew back and waited still and
utttiiitSs ~ - SitHt until tnt rat was
dead. or until he thought he was dead.
then came forward and felt him from
read to tail with his nose. and when the
at gave another kick while he was doing
o he drew quickly back again and waited
in the same motionless manner until
he thought the rat was surely
dead. Then he felt him again.
and assured himself this time that the rat
was really dead. A snake wont eat any
thing alive-in fact live rat might be a
disagreeable inmate. Whether he knew
that the rat was dead by the stoppage of
his heart beats. or in some other manner.
do not know. but am convinced that he
assured himself of that fact in some way
before he commenced 70 assimilate the
rat
lis that hairy, long-legged thing see
in the case n tarantulaP'
mo: there are no true tarantulas in
California, but that is what is known on
this coast rs tarantula. The tarantula
proper belongs to Europe. and especially
Spain. and the first corners here being
from that country. and seeing something
which to their unscientiiic ewes seemed
Just the same as their own tarantula. they
named it accordingly. Its true name is
the trap-door spider--so called from the
curious doors they build to close the en-
e t.....-