Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1889-04-13
THE SNAKES oE TEXAS.
A Great Variety of Reptiles In the
Lone Star State.

7 'NAASNI Va eho ctpcht ltllAAg ~ eau DO
found anywhere on the globe, writes a
correspondent Of the New York Times.
To mention a few that have come under
my own personal observation would be
to name not one-tenth of the varieties
indigenous to this blessed country.
Thunder snakes are by no means
common in Texas, and yet they are often
encountered by prairie travellers,
Especially before and after thunder
storms. Flashes of lightning and claps
ef thunder, which are so terrifying TO
bipeds and quadrupeds, seem to have
the greatest charm and delight for
these members Of the ophidian family.
Whenever thunderstorm comes up
these snakes have regular picnic.
They come crawling out of holes, from
behind rocks and rotten stumps, and
enjoy the fun while it lasts. Their ma
ture is quarrelsome, their character
fierce, and they are aggressive in a
high degree, which qualities are re-
markable in being possessed by SER
pent that is both fangless and in
nocuous.
The black snake is so well known to
all North America that it is hardly
worth noticing him from this point of
the world. We have two species in
Texas; one which inhabits marshy
places, ponds, creek bottoms and shady
spots, and another that lives in the
mountains, among the rocks, and in the
woods where dead. dry leaves are plen-
tiful, and young birds are numerous.
He is not constructor and he is not
poisonous. Nearly all striking SER
points have fangs, usually loaded with
poison, while the constructors seldom if
ever strike, preferring to affectionately
squeeze their enemies to death. Green
grass snakes, which are perfectly
beautiful in this latitude; bead snakes
likewise, milk, corn, garter and run
ners are entirely too common to dis
cuss.
COach-whips are remarkable in this
country for their tremendous length
and their surprising speed. The form
of the reptile is elegantly slender, his
coloring is of the most delicate beauty,
and his constructing powers are scarce
ly even surpassed by boas, anacondas
or pythons. He is cream or clay-col-
ored, very much like the hard baked
prairie over which he glide5, is very
LONG in rpopnptipy, 20 MI. al, vy,.,t,.. ...,.l
his scales are arranged in such man
ner that they closely resemble the plait-
ed leather of whip. The movements
of the coach-whip are like chained light
ming. Not endowed with poison, yet
has he tremendous power of locomo-
ton and terrible strength in his long,
slender coils, which he wraps about
and entangles the limbs in such fash
ion, binding them TO the body, and
rendering his victim perfectly helpless.
He forms his coils into living lasso,
which are capable of crushing almost |
anything within the deadly rings.
A Mexican warned me upon my ar
rival in this country 10 beware of the |
coach-whip as | would the rattlesnake,
for friend of his, after chasing one for |
some distance and seeing it dart into a |
hole, seized the reptile by the tale and
it forth. Like fash the
snake threw himself upon the man, en- 1
veloped him in coil after coil, and would /
have squeezed the life out OF him had 1
not my informer, who CHANGED to be near.
caught 1t by the tail and unwrapped the
coils. This is very easy matter TO do,
or. while his constructing powers are
great, yet child catching him by the
all could easily unwind his bands.
Only recently, while going through
1rairie-dog village a few hundred yards
rom this post, | saw zigzag yellow
streak darting across the ground which
proved to be a seven-foot-coach-w
followed him at the top OF my speed,
tut he led me lively chase before /
vas able to overtake him. IL was a
lecK-and-neck race for a few minutes,
It last gave him rap with long
tick | held in my hand, which pro-
luced an instantaneous crisis. He
capped upon that stick like shot, and
n less than a second was squeezing it
With all his force. dropped the stick
md let him have a few minutes fun, af-
er which / smashed his head with a
tone and skinned him.
Rattlesnake pilots are sure indica-
ion that the true RATHER is somewhere
n the vicinity. They seem to desire
he company Of their dangerous kins-
men, and by some people pilots are of
en- mistaken for the true breed. They
re in reality ground rattlesnakes, with
he same diamond back markings, are /
lightly poisonous, have a short, thick,
hunky body, but no Sign of rattle
bout them. There is another snake in [
'exas known as the pilot. He is also
lightly poisonous, boasts large, yellow /
tripes along his body, and is covered
18th beautiful yellow ziezag lines on /
9th sides. {
Az a rtile uniannnua ond non t,,,fao,, i.