The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1889-09-13

ponts further mesmcric exercise ) "a"
strange part of the incident was that
the chipmunk fell from the stump
dead at the report Of the gun. l
thought that some stray shot might
have struck it, although such IA thing
was highly improbable. ! examined
the little animal thoroughly. There
was not a mark upon ii. 50 strongly
was the chipmunk under the influence
OF the snake, as l positively believe,
that its very existence had become
merged with that OF the rattlesnakc's.
When the snake was killed the chip
munk' life was simultaneously ended.
"a person can not bs a close Oh
server of rattlesnakes long before he
viii discover a good many curious
things about them. ] have found out
that there are at least three living
things that a rattle5nake is in mortal
fear Of. and they are bats, hogs and
deer. | discovered the fear a rattle
snake mas of bats by putting one IN
the cage Of a very fierce rattler l once
had / thought he would go crazy
when the bat dropped down by his
side. He got in the furthsst corner
OF the cage and coiled himself up ana
actually hid his head. The bat fitted
about in the cage, which was very
rOomy one, now and then skimmIng
the folds of the suake, who would only
sound his rattles tho louder and draw
himself closer down in the corner
When l fished the bat out the snake
slowly uuwound himself and came out
of hiding. L tried the experiment
several times, not only on that snake
but on others, aud always with the
same result.
Every body knows how hogs that
run in the woods in localities where
rattIesnakes aro found viii soon drive
the reptiles oat Of the Eeighborhood.
They viii go into d den OF ratt.esuakes
If they can got in, and attack the
snakes furiously, trampiug them be-
meath their feet and tearing them
apart with their teeth. The bito Of a
rattlesnal1e has no effect whatever on
a hog. Dse.. hunt out rattlesnakcS IN
the same way, cutting them 20 pieces
by blows from their sharp hoofs. Many
woOdsmen calm that an apparent in
! crease IN ratIlesnaiza~ in soUa parts OF
/ Pennsylvania IS duo TO the killing OF
I Of the deer o.. the driving Of them out
! Of those regions There is another
thing that the rattlosE2ze fears that
! forgot TO mention, and that iS tho black
snake. ho black snake viii squeeze
J the life OuC Of q rattlcT il very short
! time. and 10 rattlesnake viii stay long
! where there i black one. if he can
get away. 1nere Is an eXco.ss.u
/ however. Whom it comes time tor
snakes TO gather into their wintering
| places, the black snake and the ratt. ~
and all Other kinds OF serpenis take up
their quarters with one another as
peaceful as lambs.
Il have seen only two persons in my
life who were bitten by ratt.esuakeS,
and only one OF them died although
the same treatment was used in doc
toring both. PoulJices made of mo-
lasses and table salt, the latter stirred
in the molasses until it was as thick a
butter, kept On the wounds made by the
snakes fangs, and the usual geucrcu:
doses of whisky, was the treatment il
both cases. One man, a young one
with a healthy constitution, was vel
in five days. The other man, a middle
aged man. and not physically strong
died in two days.
"A human being seems to be tn
only creature that suffers pain from
rattlesnake bite. Every thing els
that ever saw that had been bittel
by one of the reptiles acted as If it hi.,
been chloroformed- You can hardly
see where a snakes fangs enter III
flesh, and not drop Of blood flow
from the wound. Inflammation set
IN at once. The breath comes harr
and short In dumb animals paralysi
soon occurs in the hind parts. Tn
blood leaves the eXtremities and be
comes thin. The heart of any snima
that dies from rattlesnake poison vii
always DO found TO be filed with bloo
in a thin. fluid state. instead OF beini
coagulated, as it viii be IL a huma
being. My experience has been tina
the number of rattles on a rattlesnak
arc no indication OF its age, the popu
lar belief IN that respect TO the con
trary Notwithstanding. Harrisbur
! lPa 1 Gov Y V Sr,n