The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-12-26
JUSTICE TO THE SHAKES.


EYeWlTueSSeS VI are Den1eu
by the Fiippaht and ignorant.
Two popular beliefs concerning the
behavior of certain snakes under GER
tain circumstances have been ve;y posi-
lively met by some persons with a very
fiat and absolute denial that any snake
ever did anything of the kind.
One thing largely believed and fire.
quently reported on the testimony Of
somebody else is the alleged fact that
some snakes at times exercise the power
of charming" or drawing toward them
by the fixed power of the serpent's eye
small birds or squirrels, the purpose be-
ing to make meal of the victim. This
belief has been vehemently maintained
and as vehemently denied, the denials
being accompanied by the sheer, ''You
didn't see this yourself" It would
seem that those who firmly believe the
report-generally speaking. on the
strength of the testimony of some alb
sent friend in whose word they have
implicit trust-largely outnumber those
who deny; but among the latter are
few who profess to speak as scientists.
The other popular snake story is that
in moments of danger the mother
snake of some species will open her
mouth and her brood of babies will
run head first down her throat. This,
too, has been dismissed as an iGl~ tale.
Now it SO happens that there are at
present living in Hartford two emf
nently trustworthy men who can by
personal experience confirm the actual
truth of both these two stories. one
having witnessed the performance first
named, and the other seeing the second.
Mr.. Samuel Taylor, of Charter Oak
place, when boy of 16, lived in Glas-
tonbury. There, when out in the fields
one day, his attention was attracted by
the strange actions of a small bird
probably some ground sparrow or per
haps a ''chippy." The bird paid no
attention to him as he came near it,
but futtered in a wild and peculiar
way on the path, sometimes tluttering
up to a low twig a foot or SO above the
path, and again futtering down, seem
ingly in great distress, and then tapping
up and down, but all the while slowly
getting along in one direction.
AS the bird paid no attention to the
boy, and did nothing to get away from
him, the lad began to investigate things
! in the direction the bird seemed to be
+ aiming at, and he soon discovered
black snake The reptile was coiled,
and its head was lifted somewhat above
the coil His gaze was fastened upon
the fluttering bird, and his eyes were
bright and glittering. The spectator of
this remarkable scene waited until the
reluctant and distressed bird had adj
yard from the serpent. Then he inter
fered. Picking up stone he hurled it
at the snake and killed him. The bird
then seemed dazed, confused and help
less Gradually it recovered, and final,
ly flew out of sight.
1t is needless to add that nobody
who knows Mr. Taylor will for mo-
ment question the truth of his state
ment. He is one of our best and most
respected citizens.
The other witness is Col. f. W.
Prince, of the Gatling Gun company
Col Prince was good deal OF a fish
erman before he went into the war
. Once, he says, while fishing on a stream
not many miles from Auburn, N Y,
he went to half hollow stump near
by to deposit his box of bait. In do
ing so he disturbed good sized snake
in the stump, apparently an adder,
about whose head and body her young
brood were disporting themselves. In
stantly the mother snake opened wide
her mouth, and down her throat ran
the baby brood, one on the heels Tor
perhaps we should say the taiD of the
other
Being confronted by fiat denial of
this statement by Mr.. N. Starkweath-
er, of this city, Col. Prince indignantly
and firmly held his ground. 1T may
do to deny what other people have re-
ported, he hotly replied, but what !
have seen myself ain sure of. Hart
ford Times.