The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1890-09-26
SNAKES AFTER HONEY.
6ovon Big Fellows Break Up q
Colony OF Bccs.
Extraordinary Adventure Of Two Penn.
sylvania Bark Peeiers - Isfacksnnkcx
Evidently Know . Good Thing
when They Have Tasted n.


a cup Of maple strip attracted some
Wild honey bees 10 where Horace d.
lIaincs and Joel A. Mott were eating
their dinner in hcmlock forest. down
In Spring Brook township. one day last
week, writes tho New York Suns Scran-
ton pa correspondent. The men had
been slashing down track OF timber
and pccling tho bark from IL. and they
were taking their incoming just In tho
edge Of the adjoining tract, whore II was
shady and cool. The bees settled on tho
rim Of tho sirip cup until 1t was black
with them. and IIaincs noticed that each
bee as soon as IL had slipped its I'll OF
sweets shot away into the forest In tho
Same direction. Thinking that he
might find big bee tree without much
trouble, IIaines watched the insects
carefully, and in short time lined
them TO large hcmlocK that stood only
few yards from the edge OF the slash.
ing.
About seventy feet from the ground
there was hole IN the trunk. into
which the bees disappeared. That was
all right SO far, but when Ilaincs had
got close TO the tree and taken sharper
look, he saw good portion 81 the body
OF large snake swaying back and forth
from the hole. as though 1t was going tc
drop. Haincs then yelled to Mott "a
come and sec the snake. At tho sound
OF his voice the reptile drew itself into
the hole for moment, but crawlcd out
again and let nearly three feet OF its
length hang down close to the bark by
tho time Mott got there.
The bark-pcclers had shotgun out in
the slashing and Mott went after IL.
IIaincs remained at 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
1t wrapped its tail around the tree lower
down and let its head drop. getting an
other hold with its head end as before.
and then lowering its tail again. See
ing that the snake was coming down
head over tail at pretty fast clip.
llaines grabbed club and waited for it.
When it had slid down TO point about
as high as he could reach, IIaincs let fly
with the club, and the snake dropped
and went TO squirming around on tho
moss. Haincs quickly mashed its head
and stretched II out straight, and then
be found that he had killed black
snake that was eight feet and two inches
long. The bark-pcclcrs dragged the
snake away from the tree and sat down
on a log. While they sat there still
larger blacksnakc crawlcd out Of the
bushes and started up the bee tree in
spiral course. There was a bullying spot
In the reptiles body just below its neck.
and Mott ran up and banged away at the
bulge when the snake was about twelve
feet from the ground. II fell from the
tree dead. and Eaines ripped open the
bulge and took out crushed chipmunk
that the snake had evidently just swal-
loved. This snake was eight feet and
ten inches long.
Very few bees were going in and COM
ing out OF tho hole in the tree. and the
bark-pcclcrs came to the conclusion that
the blaclscaalscs had ruined tho colony
Ind that IL was moro than likely the |
snakes had nest in the hollow trunk. \
Tho hcmloc.s was sound AT the butt and I
as high as the men could roach with an
Ike, and there was no way for the snakes
70 reach tho hollow part except from the
outside Tho bark -pcclcrs resolved to
chop tho tree down Mott put a big
charge Of shot into tho gun. and then
they chopped the tree SO that 1t fell up
hin. The moment IL struck Mott ran up
and stuck his jacket into the hole. while
IIaincs sounded the trunk all the way
Up. lie found 1t 10 DC hollow only four
b. five feet below the opening. just
above the bottom OF the hollow be
chopped out big chip and lad bare q
lot 81 rotten heart and some honcycomb.
Mott fired into tho hcio. and out popped
1--we large blacksnakcs. Each reptile
had been well pcppcrcd with shot. and
the mon quickly dubbed and stamped
them 70 death. Then IIaines chopped
The hollow bare on one side clear up
% the original hole. They didn't find
my moro snakes. but there was big lot
n comb in the hollow and very few bees,
showing that big colony Of honey gath
srcrs had dwclt in the tree before the
10, 4, no n Al ,,tox, ,,oe ooxa;,r