The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-08-07
Chipmunks Charmed by Rattlesnakes.

"Those knowing folks who ridicule the
idea that rattlesnake can charm the bird
or animal it covets for its dinner, don't
want to talk to me, after an experience
| had few days ago" said Edward Blais-
dell of Hawley, Penn. ~ was always a
little skeptical myself on the power of the
snake to charm, and consequently when
was taking walk through the woods
near Hawley one day last week, and saw
chipmunk sitting on the rock and CIV
ing no sign that my near approach to it
disturbed it in the least, the thought that
the influence of snake had any
thing to do with the Indifference of the
little squirrel was the furthest thing from
my mind, although it struck me as being
singular, the agility with which the chip
munk makes itself scarce as person ap-
proaches it being well-known to me.
1.-THE squirrels side was toward me,
and it was as motionless as if it had been
part of the rock itself. 1t was gazing
intently in the direttion of log that lay
few feet from the rock. I stopped
within less than rod of the rock, and
watched the chipmunk moment. I had
my revolver with me and made up my
mind I would see what the affect of a
shot at the squirrel would be. fred, not
aiming to hit the chipmunk, and the bull
let furrowed the rock close by it. The
squirrel did not move a hair. [ fired
again but the chipmunk paid not the
slightest attention to the noise OF the
whizz of the bullet that struck the rock
directly in front of it. I began to think
that the little animal was dead. stepped
little closer and got directly behind the
squirrel and fred bullet close over its
head and into the log. The result was
startling. Something fell from the log
and began to thresh around among the
ferns and low bushes. The chipmunk
started up, ran to and fro on the rock in
dazed manner and then lodged with its
peculiar chlrp into its hole off to one side
of the rock. stepped forward to the
log to see what was the cause of the dis
turbance there, and found an enormous
rattlesnake. 1t had been shot through
the neck, and was still writhing under
the effects of the wound. had been so
taken up with the strange conduct of the
chipmunk that I had not seen the snake,
which must have been lying on the log
among the moss that covered it in range
of my bullet. That the snake held the
squirrel under the spell of its fascinating
powers which accounted for the chip
munk's Indifference to my presence, there
can be no doubt, the moment my bullet
struck the rattle snake and knocked it
from the log the fatal spell was broken,
and the squirrel, recovering in few Sec
onds from its effects, was able to escape
into its hole.
SIN that same vicinity, some years ago,
Solomon Purdy, who lived near Hawley,
discovered a red squirrel on log, in
condition similar to the one in which I
discovered the chipmunk. He knew the
habits of rattlesnakes and understood at
once what the situation meant. He got
his eye on the snake, which was coiled
on the end of the log, his head uplifted,
and his eyes fairly glittering. He shot
the snakes head off. The squirrel
dropped from the log also. Purdy went
to the spot where the squirrel had disap-
peared. He found it lying on the ground
dead, although there was not mark of
injury upon it. .''-Me'O York. Sun.