Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-10-17
SNAKES WITHIN SNAKES.
Interesting Teisscopic Habit of Down
 RArv,anfa

Interestlng Teisscopic Habit of Down
 East Serpents.
 Tho prize snake story of the season is told in Killingworth. Conn. Samuel Cox and his son Walter were carting hay from the Par ker Hill meadow in that town the other day when Walter saw 8 huge blacksnake stretched motionless on Q little hummock not many rods from the cart. He went to the serpent, which appeared to be dead, picked it up by the tail and threw it on the load. At tho barn it was laid on the floor, and it's stuffy look excited the curiosity of father and son.
 The blacksnake was not more than six Cox, Sr, placed the tip of hls boot on the snakes head, which now exhibited signs of life and some interest in the proceedings, and Walter, gripping the reptile about the throat, forced open it's jaws As the jaws parted Walter discerned the tail of another snake protruding from the black one's gull let. He wound his fingers about tho slip pery tail and yanked a water snake of medium size out of the blacksnake, whereat the big fellow emitted sigh of relief and soon became so lively that the men had to killit. Exhilarated by their success, they made careful post-mortem examination of the remains to see whether the blacksnake had any moro snakes concealed about his person, and finding no more they searched the water snake, actuated by similar intent. In the water snake they got small striped snake, and nothing more; but now their curiosity was great to discover sjust how far the telescopic arrangement extended-whether there was 8 smaller snake in the striped serpent. Mir Cox, Sr., put his boot tip on snake No. 8, while Walter pried open the striped ser pent's mouth and searched him faithfully. But the reptile had nothing in him but 8 few trifes-a field mouse, a grasshopper and 2 few beetles. Both the striped and water snake were dead when they were ex- tracted. s- -= ..
 The incident noted tends to prove, some think, that snakes, like swallows, have a habit of focking in autumn, and they do it in 8 different way.
 At North Ashford, the other day, two boys, Charley Morse and Bertie Fish, caught and killed 8 big water snake that also was stuffed in 8 wonderfully liberal style. In the snake were sixty-one little water snakes, all well and frisky. .--.-. Herbert Banning, a Hadlyme farmer, had 8 similar experience while moving his meadow on the bank of the Connecticut river. After he had killed large and vicious water snake in the rank grass he was surprised to gee that Q part of the serpent's body was tremendously swollen, so that 1t was about as big as 8 mans thigh. He ripped the reptile open with his jack-knife, and knot of twenty-nine small snakes, varying in length from seven to nine inches. rolled out on the grass. Two of the little ones were apart from the main bunch, and were tied in . perfectly formed l square knot. All were lively. Tho callec- | tion was seen by another Hadlyme man, who professes to know all about snakes, l end he said 1t la habit water snakes have when fearful for the safety of their young ones to open their mouths and let the little chaps run into them and scatter about ip | the department of the interior.