The news., 1886-04-27

announcer picturesque error regarding
the rattlesnake is the supposition that
when spelling for fight he coils him
self up like a adoughnut or a halyard on
board a man of war. The snake simp-
ly gathers himself in irregular folds,
like a series of superimposed SIS. It
is alleged that he can spring to i'm
mense distances-ten feet maybe-and
attack his victim in mid air This is
another lie. A snake can at best strike
three-fourths Of his own length. and
rarely accomplishes that in actual war
fare. attacked an eight foot rattle
snake in Texas with four foot stick
and got decidedly the best of it. 1t is
also preposterous to state that a rattle
snake rattles thrice before he strikes.
Let an apostle of this creed step on an
able bodied rattler, and then argue his
theory. | have seen a rattlesnake in
July lie in the shade and rattle stead
lily for all hour. He was either anus
ing himself or perhaps taking a music
lesson for he did not see me, and there
was no other enemy in sight, and
am sure he had no intention of biting
himself Again, in New Mexico, l
have known rattlesnake to strike a
horse without emitting the least note
of warning.
The common or banded" rattle
snake Crotatls durissus, inhabits the
entire country south of the 46th paral-
lei. He is generally inohfensive, ex-
cept when he has reason to believe
that he is in danger, or is actively at
tackled, when he defends himself as
best he knows how. AS | said before.
his prey is in the main small birds,
mice and jumpers, but he finds chip
munks, squirrels, and even rabbits
palatable, although more difficult to
acquire a proprietary interest in.
helped once to dissect rattlesnake
with an immense lump amid ships,
which proved to be full size and half
digested jackass rabbit The snakes
neck was only two inches in dame
ter, and leave others to explain how
he wrapped himself around that rab-
bit.
The water rattlesnake, CrotaIus adas
naGnteuss, is native of the Carolinss
and Florida, and is of greater weight
and size, often attaining length of 8
feet His favorite practive is to lie in
the tepid pools of that region, and
scare fishermen. He is rapid SWIM
mer, as indeed are all rattlesnakes, but
is lazy on land 1t is said that the al.
ligator, although possessing little sense
Is intelligent enough to let the water
rattlesnake alone and indeed | have
seen the two sharing the same log in
a swamp, taking social sun bath to-
gether
The largest rattlesnakes are in
Texas, on the lower Rio Grande, where
they sometimes attain a length of 12
feet, and heavy in preparation. The
smallest are the horned" rattle
snakes of Arizona, New Mexico and
Southern California, which seldom
reaches length of two feet. They
have two little excrescences over the
eyes, and are full of devilment. They
haye rattles but seldom use them,
preferring to lie half hidden in the
sand until stepped on, when they re-
monstrate. The sand or desert" rat
tlesnake is also small, and pretends to
be on friendly terms with the prairie
dogs, whose burrows he occupies. l
have reason to believe that when the
rattlesnake inserts himself in the
bosom of prairie dogs family, he
does SO on fraudulent grounds, and is
unwillingly entertained. The prairie
dog carries no life insurance, and can
not afford a quarrel, and the snake is
mean enough to take the advantage of
him.
There is little, brown, and very
comical owl who likewise takes up
residence with the prairie dog, but he
makes at least show of earning his
rent by remaining at the entranc. and
acting as janitor, politely bowling to
everybody who passes. Neither snake
dog nor owl seem to mind the othtr's
presence, but are exceedingly sociable.
The strange companionship is ex-
planned thus: The prairie dogs bur-
row is the only shelter afforded the
snake from the intense heat of those
arid plains and as the dog always
sinks we'll on his premises, 1t is
the snakes only means of getting
water, and / have demonstrated to
my satisfaction that rattlesnakes
speedily perish without it. In return
for this hospitality, the rattlesnake
takes charge of the census, and
thoughtfully prevents the prairie dog
from accumulating larger family
than he can conveniently support.
The horned rattlesnake is endowed
with the power of moving forward,
backward or sideways with equal ia
cility. 1t is related that a German
naturalist went to Arizona, and one
day came across a horned rattlesnake
summing himself on the edge of a prai-
rie dogs burrow. The naturalist had
no stick, but was frantically eager to
secure the snake, which was retreating
down the hole. So he pulled him out
by the tail, and then sprang back
to avoid unpleasant consequences.
The snake again started down and
again was dragged ont by the tail.
This time the snake cooked one eye at
the naturalist, worked his under jaw
in a significant manner, and went
down tail first The naturalist went
home.
The rattlesnake's sole means of of
fense and defence is its pair of fangs
which are two slender, needle like
teeth, jutting from the upper jaw
Just under the eye. In structure, they
resemble the point of hypodermic
syringe, but are not quite as useful
A small channel perforates the tooth
conducting the venom from the gland
and sac in which it is engendered tc
within about tenth of an inch from
the point, is of pure enamel is hard
, and of proverbial sharpness. When
the snake is feeling pleasantly, the
J two fangs lie fiat against the roof O