The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1888-08-30
vENoMous sERPENTs.
An Expert,s Account or the ncptiles
Or The United states.

80 49, k0Ke Va y
of The United states.
In this country thcre are four differ
emit species Of ~rattlesnake, the ground.
or black rationale. the Florida
species tho mountain serpent and that
Of The Staked PLANES, says Stephen j.
Wilcox in the ST Louis Post Despatch.
The ~rattlesnake found east OF the Ms
sissippi and tho wooded district Just
west Of that river, Is essentially tho
same as the Florida species although
sometimes classed as q separate
variety. OF all those the Staked PLANES
rattlesnake is the largest. most active
aud most dangerous. Six foot is not
an unusual length, while w. foot
snakes have on. several occasions been
killed. These serpents measure some
times ten inches around the body. and
recovery from their venom arc very
rare. The Florida rattlesnake comes
next in size, while tho short, stumpy
ground snake, scarcely ever more than
three feet long. is the least venomous.
But three, other venomous serpents
are found in this country. the copper
head, and nloccasIn, land and water,
and a small and very are snake found
IN Arizona, which is considered the
most deadly of all. This snake lies in
the dust. and strikes like a fash of
lightning at anything that approaches.
A peculiar fact about this snake is that
it is nearly completely blind. and has
tho keenest hearing of any snake
known. These reptiles are very rare,
and but half a dozen specimens are
found in any Of our museums.
Among the a%rticnlates some of the
spiders, nearly all OF the scorpions. and
a few species of the centipedes are
poisonous, but tile virulcnce of their
venom has been Immensely exaggerat-
ed, and has become a Superstition. The
tarantula is regarded by many as more
venomous than the rattlesnakc. but in
all my Investigations / never discover
ed more than two instances where men
have been bitten by these great spiders.
and in neither case were the conse.
quences serious. Tho sting of a scor-
pion is not much worse than that Of a
wasp. and an active bedbug is more
dangerous than a centipede. at least of
any found north OF the Mexican line.
The effect of a snakes poison is en-
tirely exerted or the corpuscles Of the
blood. I have experimental on various
animals, and have found that tho re-
suit of venom is to cause q distintegra-
ton of the corpuscles. reducing tho
blood to a thick. Homogeneous mass.
Hogs are regarded as imprevious to
venom, but this is by no means the
case. Hogs certainly kill and eat rat
tlesnakes. but if these reptiles once
Eadt ffits A assiE assags deep enough to reach
the blood. a pig will dfe as as any
other animal The secret of their i'm:
munity lies in the fact that they adj
vance upon the snake with their fat
cheeks presented. The snake drives
its fangs into the mass of fat presented.
the blood is not reached and the hog
strips the snake through its teeth be.
fore it can strike another blow. But
when the hog is thin the fat cannot
serve as a shield and death ensues.
Whether or not an animal RECEIVERS
from a snake bite depends largely up
on its strength. as in a short time the
blood will resume its corpuscular con-
dition, and no danger ensues. 1t is
simply as a stimulant that whisky has
been found effective, MS it in no way
directly counteracts the effect of the
poison.