Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-08-13
THE JOINT SNAKE.
A Unique and Puzzling Bit of Natural
History.

Unique and Pulling Bit of Natural
History.
lie Is not myth; on the contrary a
Eery animate fact. His color is dull
dark brown, with stripe so deep it is
almost black running his whole length
each side of the backbone His head is
fiat and an obtuse triangle in shape.
with eyes very obliquely set, and rather
wide mouth: there are double rows
OF small, sharp teeth in it, but no fangs.
Inc creature Is not yenomouS, and
lives largely upon vegetable food, es-
pecially berries. field of wild straw
berries is his favorite haunt. He creeps
and twlnes through raspberry vines,
and holds high August carnival in the
woodland thicl1ets where luscious big
black berries bend their parent stems to
earth. Failing berries, grasshoppers
crickets, earthworms, grubs, and such
creatures supply him with food. He
glides rather than crawls, and so swift
ly that the eye is apt to exaggerate his
length; actually six feet is about the
limit-the extreme. rather, as it is very
rare to find one over three. To capture
him single-handed is almost impossible
Not that he shows fight. Instead, he
runs away, and seven-league boots are
needed to keep up with him.
To find him go in February or March
behind a pillow that is breaking grass
land 1t is his habit to sleep the winter
away in a mole run, a foot or so under
ground When the pillow turns him out
he will be SO nearly torpid as to let you
examine him carefully and note his pc
culiar construction. You will be struck
mainly with the exceeding shortness
of the body proper. All the vital
organs are crowded in hand s-length
below the neck. Beyond that comes
the long glistening tail. as large as the
body itself at the joining, and taper
ing gracefully to the size of your little
finger. There is no break, no sign of
joining, in all its smooth length. AL
most persuaded that you have been
humbugged, you drop the creature in a
sunny furrow, and wonder why people
will tell of marvels that have no root
in fact. When you hint your doubts to
the plowman when again he comes
abreast, he filings the reptile out on the
unturned sod and says: Just you
watch him till he comes to life
After half an hour of sunshine the
creature moves sluggishly, straightens
himself, and tries to bury his head in
the earth. Evidently the light blinds
him. The plowman has made another
round of the big land" He checks his
team, drops the line, and breaking a
light switch, strikes the snake smart
blow just back of the head. The
creature writhes away from it, but does
not try to escape. Instead, it lies way
ing its body into regular undulations
that run down and pass off in quick
vibrations of the tail. Hes lOosenin
his jints; now watchr' says the plow-
man, giving stroke much lighter than
the first. Then you see something
t~1Iy wonderful. The long, glistening
tail flies apart in regular segments about
three inches long, while the head and
short body, hardly larger than
one section, scuttle away as though
electrified. You gather up the frag
mentS left behind. and see a most Gu
rious sample of Dame Natures carpen
try. Each has, at its smaller end, 4
ring of overlapping scale that make Che
Joint water and earth proof. Inside OF
it you find three small gristly projec
tions, perhaps quarterback in length
that fit accurately into their correspond
ing holes in the face of the segment
which they serve to attach. When yol
have examined them the plowman says
Put 'em back where you found EN-
and be still and watch
If you can obey him for two hours
Your patience will be rewarded. FOl
YOU will see the snakes head come eau
tiously in sight: more cautiously still
he backs his stump of body up agains
it proper companion piece, gives ;
quick. quivering wriggle, and, 10! it i
firmly in place. Then he lies quiet TO
a little space before attacking the mex
Joint In an hour. though, if undis
turbed ne will be made whole, bu
tremendously tired with the effort
He lies fiat. inert, motionless- If mer
cifullv left to himself, he will sta,
there unsheltered till morning
though the chill of night vii
again bring on his winter torpor
Threatened with capture, he Will craw
weakly away and take shelter in TIL
nearest stump or furrow. How man.
times he can fling off the burden of him
self and successfully take it up again
there is no means of knowing. lie Is
shy fellow, a haunter of swamps ant
woods, and -far-outlying fields III
coat is CLASSY in its smoothness, no
scaIv. like those of his relations tn
adder and black snake. If he sheds III
skin. the fact is not known to his human
peirbbors. Take him for all and all
he is a unique and puzzling bit o
natural history worth investigation
NJ c. Williams, in Harper's Young FEC