Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-09-20
Chipmunks Charmed by Rattlesnakes

"Those knowing folks who ridicule the
idea that Il rattlesnakc can charm the bird
or animal it covcts for its dinner, don't
want to talk. TO me, after an experience
l had few days ago" said Edward Blais-
dell of Ilawley, Penn. 81 was always
little skeptical myself on the power of the
snake to charm, and consequently when
l was taking a walk through the woods
near Hawlcy one day last week, and saw
chipmunll 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 us being
singular, the agility with which the chip
munk makes itself scarce as person APP
proaches it being well-known to me.
"rhc squirrels side was toward me,
and it was rs motionlcss us if it had been
Il part of the rock itself. 1t was gazing
intently in the direction of log that lay
few feet from the rock l stopped
within less than rod of the rock, and
watched the chipmunk moment. l had
my revolver with me and made up my
mind l would see what the affect of I.
shot at the squirrel would be- fired, not
aiming TO hit the chipmunk, and the bull
let furrowed the rock close by it. The
squirrel did not move hair 7 fired
again but the chipmunk paid not the
slightest attention to the noise or the
whizz of the bullet that struck the rock
directly in front of it. I began to think
that the little animal was dead. / stcppcd
Il little closer and got directly behind the
squirrel and fired Il 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 chipmunlz
started up, ran to and fro on the rock in
Il dazcd manner and then lodged with its
peculiar chrp into It's hole off to one side
of the rock. l stepped forward to the
log 20 see what was the cause OF the dis
turbancc there, and found IN enormous
rattlesnallc. 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 thai 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 It's 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 Hawlcy,
discovered red squirrel on log, in :.
condition similar to the one in which I
discovered the chipmunk. He knew the
habits of rattlesnakcs and understood at
once what the situation meant. He got
his eye on the snake, which was coilcd
on the end OF the log, his head uplfted,
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 Il mark of
injury upon it. "-Ne,o York SIN.