Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1891-07-03

ABSOLUTELY PURE
sPuhkx LITTLE FIGHTERS.

sPUNKY LITTLE FIGHTERS.
The King Snake Attacks and Kills Poison.
Gus Reptiles Irrespective or Size.
The king snake is tho wonder of all
writes Philadelphia Times
from Fort Davis, Texas.
A diminutive specimen, scarcely more
than three feet in length, yet the little
fellow is so active, 80 wary and il en-
|dowed with such rare pluck that. - his
|neaa Alspliss, he 4 truly and unquss-
e Aisl ianill -. &
/ was out after peccarie4. " musk
hogs, and sat down under bunch Of
|chaparral, near stream Of water, to
rest and eat bit of lunch. While
thus employed was somewhat startled
to see moccasin come rushing through
the grass within q couple OF yards Of
me aud go dashing head over heels, 20
to speak, splash into the water. After
him, like o shot, was an elongated
streak of bright green. In he went,
too, and then knew there was fun in
store The water was . sort of pool,
without much Of an inlet or outlet, and
unless by going across sand and rocks
or by coming back on shore again,
neither combatant could escape.
Sure enough, after racing and tear
ing around in the pool like mad, both
pursuer and persued emerged from the
opposite side, and proved to be, as I
thought, cottonmouth moccasin and .
rather small king snake. The latter
was after the other, however, and be-
fore the big fellow gave up the race or
could throw himself into an attitude of
defense the king snake was upon him.
The sole and entire power Of the latter
reptile lies in his wonderful constricting
abilities. He has no fangs. no poison,
nothing to attack or defend himself with
save his coils, but these are 80 marvel
ously powerful and SO terrible in com.
pressing that nothing in the animal or
reptile world, according to size, can be-
gin to compare with him for the es-
pecial quality.
No sooner had the moccasin stopped
and turned to defend himself than like
lightning his enemy jumped upon him
and proceeded to squeeze the life out Of
his ugly carcass. Tighter and tighter
grew the coils, always arranged 80 that
the big one could not strike, and pretty
soon the kings body was nearly lost to
view, so slender had it grown from the
construction and SO deep was he in the
fat flesh of the moccasin. It looked
like green cord wound tightly around
the latter's body.
At last the moccasin ceased resistance
and allowed his body to hang loose and
inert. For ten minutes longer did the
king snake hold his grip. then gradually
looseneo it, but always ready to resume
his squeezing should his enemy exhibit
any 81 gns of life. Finally he uncoiled
himself entirely, saw that the moccasin
was no more, turned his back ON the
scene and went gliding through the
brush.
In some parts of Texas king snakes
are quite numerous. In the low lands,
and especially in meadows and river
bottoms, they are found in great num-
bers. Nobody harm them, neither
| whites nor negroes, ard even Mexicans
seem to understand their good qualities,
| for they edom il ever harm one
When soldiers are in camp and find .
great many king snakes in the vicinity,
they know it is good sign, for poison
GUS snakes will steer clear Of that
locality, and never visit it while there
is one Of the royal breed about.
/ Alligator Products.
Besides the hides of the alligator, Of
which fifty thousand or sixty thousand
are annually utilized in the United
States, there are other commercial pro-
ducts obtained. The teeth, which are
round, white and conical, and IS long
rs two joints Of an average finger, are
mounted with gold or silver, and used
for jewelry, trinkets, and for teething
babies to. play with. They are also
carved into variety Of forms, such as
whistles, buttons and cane handles.
This industry is carried on principally
in Florida. Among the Chinese drug
gists, as stated in the Journal of the
Society of, Arts, London, there is .
great demand for alligators' teeth,
which are said to be powdered, and ad-
lmiuistered as remedy. As much -
/ . dollar apiece is paid by them for fine
teeth. All the teeth Of the alligator
are of the class OF conical tuska, with no
cutting or grinding apparatus; and
hence the animal is forced to feed chiefly
on carrion, which is ready prepared for
indigestion. Other commercial pro-
ducts Of the alligator are the oil and
musk pods. The tail of an alligator Of
twelve feet in length, on boiling, fur
nishes from fifty to seventy pints Of ex-
cellent oil, which in Brazil il used for
lighting and in medicine. The oil has
been recommended for the cure Of
quite variety OF diseases. It has q
high reputation among the swampcrs q
. remedy for rheumatism, being given
both inwardly and outwardly The
crocodiles and Alligators poasess four
musk glands--two situated in the groin,
and two in the throat, . little in advance
Of the fore legs. Sir Samuel Baker
says they are much priced by the Arab
women, who wear them strung like
honi1a uDOu n necklnNA