The Press., 1889-12-05
[Scientific Americanl THE HOOP SNAKE. i,
BY NICOLAS PIKE.

ages an object of terror to man and beast It has been and still is an object of wor- ship by many nations-noticeably SO by some of the native tribes of Hindostan. The death rate is fearfully increased in that country by bites from venomous snakes, and often whole families are bitten and the reptile goes free, because they fear to kill even an evil deity, as they look up on the corba or other deadly reptile. Hap oily the missionaries and the heavy re- wards offered by the British government for snake heads are breaking up some of this terrible creed. Even here snake re- mains only mysterious and repugnant reptile to the generality of mankind. Wis., dom and subtlety, grace and ugliness, cun- hing and treachery, and host of other qualities have been attributed to serpents, yet with two exceptions (the rattler and copperhead), like good many people, they are not as bad as they seem.
 It appears strange that at this late day the widest superstitions are still extant
 with regard to reptile life, not only with the uncultured Indian, whose trad. tions are rich in serpent lore, but among most intelligent white men. There is one reason that may account partly for it. Nine out of ten people who meet snake either kill it or run from it. In the latter case, fear not only lends wings to their feet, but to their imagination also. A harmless three- foot garter snake is magnified to six or seven feet at least, with hlssing and venom thrown in. Now, if little trouble were taken to watch some of the habits of harm less snakes, they would lay aside their er- roneous ideas.
 There has been considerable written about the hoop or hoople snake, as the country people call it. It is firmly be- lieved that it rolls over the plains of Long
 Island and elsewhere, and if you doubted it, they would think, if they did notsay it, | (who ought to know better), farmers and others, all men of intelligence and ordi-
 nary veracity, positively aver that they
 have seen the snake roll often, and do
 not doubt they believe it.
 | will give one story to show how far
 credulity can go. A letter was received at
 the Smithsonian Institution, Washington,
 accompanied with an affidavit by clergy
 man of the truthfulness of himself and a
 MT. Laine, of Whitaker, N. O. The fol-
 lowing is the gist of the story: "When in
 the suburbs of the town, MT. Laine heard
 noise behind him, and on looking around
 saw hoop or horned snake three or four
 feet distant, rolling as he came on, with
 his tail in his mouth. When within strik- ing distance, it disengaged the tail, struck
 at him, but missed its aim, when it stretched itself full length on the ground. Asecond
 attack was made, when MT. Laine killed
 it, and he found the rear portion, one.
 third of the snake, capable of~erection,
 firm and horn like, all of which condition
 except q inches of the tail disappeared after death" Other stories speak of theil lokr hoSr ko;l J ) poisoning them
 While shooting at Pondquogue, I had g
 very intelligent man as companion, who ? told me positively that he had often seer the milk snake roll, and all could say tc
 the contrary was of no avail. I could re cite dozen more such instances did space allow. My own first acquaintance witt this snake was over forty years ago, dur
 ing pedestrian tour round Long Island with friend. While encamped on tn, , Comac hills, we sauntered out one morn , ing, gun in hand, pot hunting. As WI descended a slope, large snake started almost under my friends feet, and h, moved so rapidly forward, had difficulty in che cking his career with No. 8 shot , We had been warned to be careful of thes' , snakes, but we were both familiar witt : reptiles, and were studying and collecting them fearlessly.
 |, This was fine specimen of the mill snake, or Oha1h5bolus dolSatus trid'egu :, lus, and as I was standing in an obliqu , direction from my friend and near tn snake, had an excellent opportunity o z seeing it's movements, rapid as they were It darted from us in a succession of loop ing movements of the body, similar t ( those made by the measuring or geomet rical worm in walking. This peculia : mode of progression is not confined to tn /. milk snake, but the bull or pine snak . (Pityophis mael0noleucus) and the quee = snake, or o. getulus, both have it. Tn
 apparent gyrating motion is caused by tn F lightning like rapidity with which the reI !. i. tile goes over the ground, that confuse a the eye and renders the whole thing a optical illusion.
 = Three years ago I was hunting in e swamp, when met German who was i aa a great state of fright He was cuttin . . rushes for chairs. when he said he saw T great snake come rolling toward him, an = he had cut it in two with his sickle. Q went to the spot he indicated, and found 0 four-foot female milk snake. To show ho' ,. easily such mistakes are made, will stat that this man had never heard of a rollin
 snake, yet he spoke of it as such quit 0 IcOuuuoutly 1FOm WnaG u0 QaQ seen, an 't doubtless it did appear so to him.
 e disturbed milk snake once near Fal 8 mingdale, when it raised it's head, elevate 1T the body into what appeared to be circle l. but was in reality an enlongated loop, an }, vanished down the slope. Had I not know a it's habits of progression, should hay
 believed in it's rolling, so perfect was th delusion. Some time ago I had one , these creatures in confinement whol e winter. A favorite position was to rais 2 one or two long loops and rest the head o
 one of them, the little bright eyes takin
 in everything that moved near it. Som ,,S times 1t raised only one loop, twisting i - tail around the neck in most intricate foli
 and hiding its head, where 1t remained ft " days thus fast asleep.
 n Any one who has studied the anatom
 of serpent knows that it is impossible fe
 it to gyrate in a perfect crcle, still le of could 1t roll with it's tail in it's mouth. ze is difficult to- understand the propellir rs power in these creatures without son l knowledge of his organization. To loo to at g dead snake casually, it appears as g. nature had somewhat neglected the Oph er dians, and yet in truth she has provided U wonderful apparatus for giving them cele
 ity in eluding danger, catching their li'
 prey, climbing, swimming, or walkin
 hardly fsund- in othar animala