Telegram-herald., 1890-07-08
THE RATTLESNAKE
And Its Deadly Enemies. the Bull
and King Snakes-
Similarity AMI Dissinnartty Betveeo the
Northern Rather and Its Southern
Con.sn-A winter DAYS sport-Ths
kins-snskss Method OF Attack

The true homo Of the ratcleSnake Is
In Northwestern Texas In the hot,
sandy soil OF the Lone Star State this
reptile seems TO grow larger than else
where IN North America and here, too.
he seems 20 be possessed OF more poison
than in the colder climate Of the North
ern States Strange as IL may seem tho
rattlesnake thrives IN an ice-bound
county almost as we'll as in hot, arid
region
remember once, when scouting
through the great Yellowstone Park. in
Northwestern Wyoming and South
western Montana, OF killing the largest
rattlAsnaks ever saw IN my life. He
was nearly as large around as ones
wrist and carried no less than nineteen
rattles and button on the end Of his
tail
Along about the central part OF the
Unit4d States, say in Kansas, Colorado
and indian Territory, this reptile is
more noticeable for its great diameter
than its length He seems there to be
chunky" so 20 speak. with very
large body. but seldom attaining a
greater length than three and half or
four feet
While Montana Is a very cold country
generally, Jet do rattlesnakes thrive
there wonderfully and numerously.
A. one time, while driving near our
fort in ths Yellowstone valley. in COM
pany with our post surgeon, the horses
Suddenly stopped and began 20 shy.
They had run upon sone dozens of rat
tIesnakes, large and small, who wo-o
wriggling and squirming in tho road IN
every direction.
The doctor checked the horses, and
springing 20 tho ground, We soon had
about as much business on our hands "a
We could conveniently attend TO. In
few minutes We had killed forty rat
tiers. more or less. and this was not ono
tenth OF all that were there.
watching the survivors for 4 fow min
utes. is was observed that all OF them
pointed in ono direction. Following
then, We saw a. many as a hundred
dart down into large prairie dog hole.
Fhis occurred IN the fall Of the yesr,
before the snow bad begun 20 aT.
During the winter. when tho snow
was from three 20 four feet deep and the
Thermometer something like thirty-fve
degrees below zero. q cavalry officer and
myself made trip 20 this same prairio
dog hole 20 dig out The rattleFs in order
% SOC what they were doing az that cold
season.
We had some soldiers with Us. and
with picks and shovels the men went TO
work. the frosea dirt soon flying in
every direction
Pretty soon a snail rattlesnske was
thrown cut bT spade. Ho proved 20
b exceedingly torpid or lssy, and was
dispatched byono of the men. Another
and another vas tossed out, and then a
big fellow was sent sprawling on the
snow, showing 4 trifs Of anger Tor being
disturbed Ia tae midst OF his winter
slumbers
By tickling and tormenting him With
q ranrod. che half-f-ozen reptile was IN
dlced 90 make a few strikes. but his
movements we-a slow and sluggish and
without much use
Ne made a vici1u' rattle or two. bus
slmost inuodiltefy sunk back into a
somnoient, &rows7 STATE. Hs vas tapped
on The heal With ramrod. which
seemed - set him crszY. FOR he squirmed
and wrirrlsd over tha ground a few
times and then buried his fanvs into his
body. hts own poison killing hin with
tn few Minutes
II Montana wyoming. Idaho md TIE
Other Northern States and Terri t0ries.
Share lives a very large, powerful rep
tile called ths buli-snake. lie lives in
holes In tue ground. IN logs. rotten