The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-04-04
A SERPENT RIGHTLY NAMED.
The King Snake vanquishes All Reptiles
Little or Zig.

The King Snake Vanquishes All Reptiles,
Little or Big.
The king snake is the wonder Of all ophi-
dians. diminutive specimen, scarcely
more than three feet in length, yet the little
fellow is so active, so wary and is endowed
with such rare pluck that, as his name i'm
plies, he is truly and uDQuestonably the
king of the family.
l was out after pecearies, or musk hogs,
and sat down under bunch of ehaparIal,
near a stream of water, to rest and eat bit
of lunch. says Texas correspondent of the
Philadelphia Times. While thus employed
l was somewhat startled 10 see moccasin
come rushing through the grass within
couple of yards Of me and go dashing head
over heels, so to speak, splash into the
water. After him, like a shot, was an
elongated streak of bright green. In he
went, too. ana then l knew there was fun
in store The water was 4 sort of pool,
without much OF an inlet or outlet, and, I'M
less by going across sand and rocks or by
coming back on shore again, neither conf
Blatant could escape.
Sure enough, alter racing and tearing
around in the pool like mad, both pursuer
and pursued emerged from the opposite side,
and proved to be, as thought, cotton
mouth m0ccaSin and a rather small king
snake. The latter was after the other, how
race or could throw himself into an attitude
of defense the king snake was upon him.
The sole and entire power OF the latter rep
tile lies in his wonderful constructing abil-
ties. He has no fangs, no poison, nothing
to attack or defend himself with save his
coils, but these are so marvelously powerful
and so terrible in COMPRISING that nothing
in the animal or reptile word according to
size, can begin to compare with him for the
especial quality.
No sooner had the moccasin stopped and
turned to defend himself than like lightning
his enemy jumped upon him aud Or ceeded
to squeeze the life out of his ugly carcass.
Tighter and tighter grew the coils, always
arranged SO 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. 1t looked like
green cord wound tightly around the lat
ters body.
At last the moccasin ceased resistance
and allowed his body to hang loose and in
eTt. For ten minutes longer did the king
snake hold his grip, then gradually loosened
it, but always ready to resume his squeezing
should his enemy exhibit any signs of life.
Finally he uncoied himself entirely, saw
that The mOceaSln 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 luwand5, and eS-
pecially in meadow and river bottoms, they
are found in great numbers. Nobody harms
them, neither whites nor negroes, and even
MeXlcanS seem to understand their good
qualities, for they seldom if ever harm one.
When soldiers are III camp and find great
many king snakes in the vicinity, thev know
it is good sign, for poisonous snakes will
steer clear of that locality, and never visit
it while there Is one of the royal breed about