The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-05-25
HE cAUeHr THEM HIMSELF
AuA They VIEW Osausas, with ThsSr Ra,
ssss on. aaa TAesr rsissA Fsnss Len In.


fang In. and captured by myself this spring on
tho mountains OF pennsylvanin It's simply .
pair Of Wild rsttlesuakes captured by myself
They are the frst Of the season. and they're
genuine. They are not much 10 see. but II you
want TO see something you never saw before
and that's pair Of genuine Wild rattlesnakes.
with oil their rattles on and poison fangs In
captured By myself this spring 10 the Ponnsyl-
vania mountains. now's your last and only
chance to see 'em. for am going to Boston
with EN- tonight. They are not much to see
ladies and gentlemen but they're genuine"
Tho speaker was an Misunderstanding man
with one armloss sleeve pinned to the breast
OF his cont. and his only hand resting on
wooden box about two feet wide and three
feet high. From one side. near the top. there
was square spout.like projection three inches
wide By six or eight inches long. pointing up
ward &C An angle Of forty.fve degrees. A piece
OF glass was set in the top. Tho box was per-
forated on three sides with hali-inch auger
holes. Tho man and his box stood near tho
junction Of sixth avenue and Cnrmine street.
and wero surrounded BY q crowd OF mon.
women and children OF the variegated huss
and economical apparel that mark the jewellers
In that part OF the city. None Of them seemed
inclined to take the initiative In selling tho
opportunity to see pair Of Ronuins Wild
that he had captured them. fst. he waved his
one .,, ha m,, a. 4 to keep them back anu said
D9nI crowd. ladies and gentlemen! Don't
crowd! Fall right Ia line. orderly and patiently.
this pair Of genuine wild rattlosnnkes., The
eight Will cost you but five conts head. and
psas pnswn ssys 4 hut snake M lizard
II Wings. . ii.h That SSs drSpped its fins:
genuine wild ra!ticsnakes. with rnttles all on
snd Hngs m sapnred Sy myse
SuN, reporter mnde his way through the
crowd. dropped u nickel in the mans hand. and
snakes were coled on the bottom OF the box.
TSsy Lacked 70 be Sly re- and a.
one OF the anger holes III the box. and instant;
one OF them sprane vlciously at tho stick. The
markings Of the wlckedlooking serpents were
Darwin also says" remarked the loqua.
serpents ars not, bright or beautiful. but, are
that Darwin never saw pair Of genuine Wild
rattlesnakes from the PENNSYLVANIA mountains.
or he wouldn't have nude such IN ,S assertion;
reptiles. and lie must have gazed long for final
ly the proprietor addressed the crowd: Ladies'
to sec this pair Of genuine wild rattlssnakes.
but make special terms by the hour"
S MS the
Tho reporter suggested to him that II he could
consistently drop the. curtain Mt that stage OF
reporter) would have no hesitancy In investing
the price Of two admisstons in beer. .. ~,
have s 50 ss mako s9 sss me III
s.epped out 81 the crow crowd. ~ Tho ops.armsd
So. and tho Young nj man Seized ono ' ON the
posiie side Then the reporter, the two men.
ard the box saiSssnSa to beer
Yes" said the former. II think I know q
lived next door neiGhbor to EN- for forty years.
one Of EN- Single second II he was In reach
county. west side Of Ararat Mountain"t6ati I've
had for eleven years raised him. and think
ana ToI% esSs s ns snsS
me rs into anything else I've learned y good
many things, about rattesnakes through Nico-
iomnd GU. that they change . their SKIN twiee
year-in July and In septemher..and that II
tho skin Il viii come of slowly and in pieces.
instead Of in one whole pieces from head to
tail But I've e reysr caught on Ito to lust hoy they
ssns ff0S Of
would be lying in one corner Of the cage and
he would be as bright IA an old-fashioned
patchwork quilt in his new ones.
Maybe you've always heard that q rattle
snake gets blind while he's changing his skin:
There's no mistake that his eyes 10 get covered
in his cage and SEQ how how quick he'll coil up and
send for 1t. and hit 1t ~ the neck everv time. A
rattlesnake always strikes for the neck. and no
you may I'LL his cage with mice or rats or frogs
or anything else he likes, and he'll never
as kills Ha' only Enough for hi. hu %sn
that's left can ., crawl over him, jump on him.
and no never say boo. Two mice viii hi1 make
mea! for +. rnttlesnake. Tho first ten months
sa ssSS " he ate %
been known to remnin fourteen months in can.
tiyity without eating or drinking. and then all
dove in with him Now there isn't ,snythps
Excent bats. pop" interrupted the sun
o!r6i s Vss eRcsnt bats assented tbe show
man. put bat in Ncodemus's, cage ono
s S.. XII woa ca 6 e ~
tie. was afraid tho bat would scare the. snake
to death. 30 took 1t out OF the caHa. Well.
when first got him; Just to see what he'd do.
I've orion seen NtcOuemuS ana the dove
both sound asleep. together, sometimes
the bird being perched on the snake and some
times wrapped up in it's coils. At the same
time the snake was killing chickens. birds.
mice. rabbits. and other things every day as
fast as Wa put 'em In to him. One day the
dove got Its head through one Of tho neshes in
the woven wire Of the cage and was choked to
death. / got another one SO near like the dead
one that no one could have told 'em apart.
When Nicodemus WINS asleep nut the bird in
the cage. The snake woke UP along in the, af
ternoon. He had hardly got mis- eyes open when
he sprang ut that dove like streak OF light
| ming and made his supper of Of her.
There 10 no telling how long an animal will
| live after being struck by a rattlesnnke. lhava
known n rat to die in ak minutes after Nicode-
| mus SGT his fangs In 1t. and have known one
| again to live more than n day after being
| struck. turned n little bantam hen into Nico-
demus's cage ono day. and when he struck nor
| 1t made her mad. and she turned around and
| pitched into him so that she drove him into his
| corner. bleeding like u stuck pic. ! was afraid
| she d kill him. so took her out. She keeled
over an hour later, and supposed OF course
son In her. but she lived three days in q stupid
state. and then got we'll That was tho only
| instance ever knew OF anything getting well
| after being bitten by q rattlesnake. without be-
| ing treated for the poison"
Except hogs. pop" interjected the young
"Oh, yes! except hogs!" replied tho show
| man. Lord, yes! Hogs don't mind rattle