The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-12-28

/ ncclu 10 desire Inc
OF their dangerous kinsmen, and by some
people pilots are often mistaken for the
| true breed. They are in reality ground
rattlesnakes, with the same diamond back
NAPKINS, are slightly poisonous, have a
short, thick, chunky body, but no sign Of
rattles about them. There is mother snake
IN Texas known as the pilot. He is also
stripes along his body, and is covered with
beautiful yellow zig-zag lines on both sides.
AS rule, poisonous and non-poisonous
snakes are eternal enemies. The most
deadly serpent we have in America is the
rattlesnake. The most harmless of
ophIdians are the bull, black and king
| snakes. all Of whom will tackle and kill
RATHER without the least hesitation. There
is no more deadly reptile IN the world, not
excepting the cobra of Asia, the HAZE of
Africa, or the Fer-de-lance of Martinique,
than the terrible, bloated rattlesnake of the
staked plains of Texas
few milesnorth of this point begins this
famous desert, and here are to be found the
largest, most active and most dangerous
rattlesnakes in the world. Six feet is an
ordinary length, and ten inches a moderate
circumference. Recovery from their venom
is excessively rare. In August they become
large. yellow, bloated things, and it is at
TINS time of the year that the Apache
Indians seek them out to obtain poison for
their arrows. A deer's liver, smoking not,
is torn out and laid before the reptile. He
again and again, the ruorsel turning blue
black from the poison, even before the
snake has finished striking
ms delightful morsel is then placed high
on pole to rot and decompose in tbs sun,
after which it is brought down and the
arrows stuck into 1t, they bsing afterwards
dried In the sun to retain the poison-a
~
the worst indians on the continent.
Now, whatever the size of the rattlesnake
little, harmless, 21z or 3-foot king snake
Will tackle these monsters and varQuish
them sooner or later. he not only seeks
the king of venomous serpents, but also de-
stroys all other poisonous kind whenever he
has an opportunity. For this reason people
OF Texas, black or white, will never kill
king snake knowingly or willfully. Sol
diers in camp always welcome his presence,
Tor as they never do any harm them
selves 1T Is dead sure thing that no poison
GUS snakes will venture into camp while
king snakes are around. The extreme length
OF this serpent Is seldom more than "A or
feet His body is slender and 1.-THE levi
IDENTIFY built especially for coustricting) in
color he Is bright pea green, mottled with
white and black spots. and his movements
are even quicker than the coach whip.
A gentleman OF Pine Bluff, Ark. thus de-
scribes fight he once witnessed between a
king snake and black water moccasin:
II was sitting on fallen cypress which ex,
tended some distance into the water, en-
gagged IN catching mess Of perch for sup
per- While thus employed / noticed
large water moccasin sunning himself on
level bench of dry mud that formed
part OF the bank near me. / watched
him for half an hour, when sud
denly L heard a slight rustliug on
shore and saw the moccasin start
for the water at double quick, but
he was too late. Like green fash beau
tiful king snake about four feet long came
dartlng through the grass, and placed him
self between the moccasin and the water
Then began one Of the most singular and in
teresting contests | ever witnessed The
moccasin, finding his retreat cut off, in
Stsntly threw himself into a coil, and, with
his head raised about foot above his body,
and swaying to and fro, his eyes glittering
with angry fire and his forked tongue fash
Ing back and forth, gathered all his ener-
giles for defense in the deadly conflict he
knew was bound to follow 20
His smaller and more active adversary
eyed him for moment and then began to
run with great rapidity around him i'll a
gradually narrowing circle, keeping his
own head raised q few inches above the
earth and apparently watching for an open
inc uiONSooAn SlJWly
in his coil, so as to always face his assailant.
Once or twice he led viciously at the lat
ter's head but recovered in time to prevent
counter This went on for perhaps 10 or
10 minutes, when suddenly-and far too
quickly to be followed by the eye-there
was fash of green and white in the air
and then confused mass of writhing,
twisting serpents rolling over and over on
the ground somewhat resembling the magic
lantern display of colored wheels
Presently the mass began to take def
mite shape, and then it was seen that the
king snake had caught bis big adversary by
the left lower jaw, and was holding on with
bulldog grip while he wrapped his own
body around that of the r.occasin like a
cord around a pole. Then the squeezing
process began, and soon the huge moccasn
began to straighten out, while the folds of
the king snake were drawn so tightly as to
almost bury themselves in his body. Finally
the moccasin got quiet except a slight
wriggIing of the tip Of the tail, and after
lying still for some ten minutes or more,
the king snake, still holding his grip by the
jaw, gradually unwound himself from the
body of the other until they lay side by side
on the ground.
HE waited in this position some minutes
longer, apparently to assure himself that
his opponent was really dead, and then let
go his jaw hold took one or two farewell
trips around the body, and disappeared in
the brush"