The Black range. (Robinson, Socorro County, N.M.) 1882-1897, 1889-02-22
AN INTELLIGENT SNAKE.


a story Mhe-e Truth u tou~hed for ny
a tieii ,tl= Jsurnsl
An American lady from Virginia was
spending sumc time IA faris, says HiSIrrs
ifuHg f'uIas aud auc idy was asked 10 go
with sun" frcnca and Eagiish fricn1s u
the Jartiiu dcs flaatcs After wan icring
about for somc time Ia tac gardens, /: was
suggested that they 20 round by the scr.
pcut house. The lady from Virginia who
had an uneonquyrslbl drcsl.l Of snakes Of
all kinds. obJccicd strongly. out tndingihAt
the rest an wanted to 20. aud yet wcrc
too polite 10 leave her bcnind. she at last
consented. Oucc near the row Of cages,
however, she regg,d the others to 20 on
and see what they wanted to. leaving her
to wait for ihcm there tine English lady
preferred remaining bchind also: ~. after
some little talk, the two ladies we're left
standing at one side Of the first cage.
whcrc glimpscs ~ a torpid looking snake
irun beneath the folds OF an old blanket
on tine iinor of the cage had been enough Ia
frghten both ladies frum going any far
thcr. The conversation until now had been
entirely la Frcnrh. but as the rest Of the
party moved on. the two lett behind Dcgan
talkirE Ia English.
With the first words the English lady
spoke the torpid snake began moving un-
easily. As the Virginia lady answered her.
and went ON talking at some lengt thS
snake grew more and more restless, till
II finally showed every sign OF intense cx-
element.
/ Evidently" saIi the English lady,
''that's snukc who understands Englisn "
| They laughed n little and moved away,
the dreadful head pressing so aear the
wires OF tue caSo uuuerving boln ladies for
a longer stay. Hdt as thcy came out In
/ front of the cage, and ioOged dp 10 the la.
bel 10 see what the creature exactly was.
they read, Ia tncir astonisiment, Grbtdias
I TirginsH-i-. on " irgiaia rattlcsnaKer -
! "rhlnk Of it, exclaimed the American
lady; "hc not only !,nows Gnglsh, but he
recognizes my Virginia dialect
! Tue wnolc niTar seemed 50 uncanny that
they Dcgan 10 think they would rather move
/ ON aud J1iI tncir friends. rhe gentlemen.
however, when the story was told, we're 40
anxious To see the experiment themselves
/ that the American lady consented 10 con.
| qucr her dread again, and 90 back 10 her
/ FIRST cage.
again lying torpldly ON the floor. Conver.
sation was begun in French, quite rapidly
and very loudly, To see whether II would be
aroused by the mere noise.
! II paid no attention to them, however, till
the English lady spoke In her native tongue,
when the slight rcstlcssucss at once began
again; and as soon rs the lady from Nir.
ginia had uttered u few sentences the crea-
turc was cvidcntly furious, rouslng itself
with such balcful fire N its narrowed eyes
that the nerves Of the lady could bear ii no
longer, even In the interests Of science, and
she beat Il retreat.
She was urged To 90 to the Garden again
and again by scientists anxious TO make
every experiment possible, but she found
herself utterly unable to face the creature,
even with iron bars aud wire between.
She assures mc that the whole party SAID It
was impossible To doubt but that the rattle.
snake dld recognize the language aud the
daleef.
The strangcst part Of such thing would
naturally bc that the rattlcsnake, unlike
any domestic animal or bird, could uot have
heard much ,alk from human beings, owing
to the secrecy Of its movements aud the
obscurity Of its haunts. Whatever rccol.
lection of the language IL had carried with
IL across the sca When II was sent to France
must have come from that one encounter
with Nirginians when IL was captured, Its
very evident association with the Virginia
accent being one to cnragc IL beyond meas
urc,
The Buffalo Courier says: A furalohins
of Massachusetts birth has been In some
distress of mind over the proper pronun.
citation Of the name of the Boston hall,
which served rs the Cradle Of Liberty. IN
her native State she had never heard II
called any thing but Fnn-u-il Hall, but In
Buffalo II few persons who prldcd them
selves Dp doing the correct thing when they
know II calleJ il IN her presence Funnel
Hall Under the impression that Dr
Holmes employs The latter pronunciation In
one Of his poems she wrote II little not,
TO the beloved autocrai, begging for infor
nation. Promptly came the following re
ply. pcnncd, unfortunately, In the hand o
secretary:
Some foiks--Faneuh,
] ia fnlAs-- Funnel