Telegram-herald., 1890-08-07
SNAKES AFTER HONEY.
seven Bzx Pillows Break Up
Colony os Beea
ExtrasrdiaArs A&ysntsss - ~"
.sgxsnEA Bzr3- g<slsEs bl%e~s-
EslaeatGy kEoN Oee4
Nhsa 1Asy EsFe Tasted A.

euo of maple sirep atrr@ete2 50
ala hsseY bees - where Hef~s
uaines ana Joel A. Sott were e-s-As
the5r dinner in = becleck forest
Ia spring Brook township, enc e@s
week. writes ia New York san =
son Pa correspondent. Iae 4ea l4~
besn slashinr daan : tr&sk u nAloei
ana peeling the bark from L. and they 1
were taking their noonlng lasl ~ -
edee of the adjoining tract, r acre
shady and cool The bees setI-fo ga 80
rim of the sirup cup untn II y a. o4~sS
e.ith chem. and Hzines noticed Ta-t eAon
/ bee q. soon as it had slipped It's III %
+ sweets shot away into the forest IN ING
same direction. Thinking thai he
nirht and a big bee tree witho4t mueh
+ t-ouhle. Haines watched the insects
+ carefully. and IN short time Aned
Them 70 a large heIalock thGt stood only
a few wards from the edge OF the SLASH
ing ,a
there was a hole IN the trunk, ln''
which the bees disappeared. That was
I "a right 50 far, but when Haines h~1
&
look. he saw good portion Of the oo1y
OF a large snake swaying back ana toF'h
from the hole, "a though il Was going 70
dron Haines then yelled - Mott 10
come and see the snake. At the souHo
Of his voice the reptile drew itself into
the hole for q moment, but crawled Out
again and let nearly three feet OF rs
| length hang down close 10 the bark oy
the tine Mott got there.
The bark-peelers had shotgun out IN
tho slashing and Mott went after II.
Uaines remained ct the foot OF the hem
lock. While Mott was gone the snake
wound its head end around the trunk
and drew its tail from the hole. Then
il wrapped its tail around the tree lower
down and let i Is head drop, getting an
other hold with its head end as before,
and then lowering its tail again. See
ins, that the snake was coming down
head over tail at a pretty fast chp'
> Uaines grabbed a club and waited for It,
, When il had slid down TO point about
as high as he could reach, Haines let hy
with the club, and the snake dropped
and went to souirming around on the
moss. Haines quickly mashed its head
and stretched il out straight, and then
he found thap he had killed black
snake that was eight feet and two inches
;. long. The bark-peelers dragged the
. snake away from the tree and sat down
. ). on log. While they sat there stil
10 LARGER blacksnake crawled out OF thC
= bushes and started up the bee tree in
spiral course. There was bulglng spo'
in tho reptiles body just below Its DecK
. and Mott ran up and banged away at thC
- bulge when the snake was about twelve
feet from the ground. 1t fell from th'
tree dead, and Haines ripped open th'
bulge and took out q crushed chipmun!
that the snake had evidently just swal
III lowed. This snake was eight feet AM
- ten inches long.
.. Very few bees were going in and com
III inc out of the hole in the tree, and tn
;, - bark-pcclcrs came to the conclusion tina
IL the blacksnakes had ruined the colon
'n and that it was more than likely IN
30 snakes had nest in the hollow truni
lu The henlock was sound ct the butt an
as high as the men could reach with
~ axe. and there was no way for the snake
"i 10 reach the hollow part except from ii
outside. The barA-peelers resolved
ne chop the tree down. Mott put b.
charge OF shot into the gun, and the
10 they chopped the tree so that 1t fell u
5h hill. The moment it struck Mott ran
70 and stuck his jacket into the hole'whi
10 Iaines sounded the trunk all the VIZ
~ up. uc found it to be hollow only 10
'S, o. five feet below the opening. Ju
eu above the bottom of the hollow
an chopped out big chip and lad bare
'ry lot of rotten heart and some honeycom
Mott fired into tho hole, and out popp
IeS five large blacksnakcs. Each repo
ere had been well peppcrcd with shot a
Gu the men quickly dubbed and stamp
oS' them 70 death. Then iaines chopp
at the hollow bare on one side clear
IN to the original hole. They didn't il
or any moro snakes. but there was a big
arc of comb in the hollow and very few be
showing that big colony of honey ga
.ho erers had dwelt in the tree before
Is en.,res had taken possession.