Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1892-07-07
RATTLEsNAkEs GAN SWIM.

a Texas Boatman Says He Has Seen
Them Eight Miles from Shore.
1t Is generally accepted that the
poisonous RATHER, SO well known and so
much dreaded by man and beast in all
parts of the United States, is dry
land snake, and avoids water more
carefully than the burned child does
fire. His haunts are supposed to be in
forests safe from the overflow Of rivers,
in the mountains or hill districts and
on the arid plains of the west, where
1t seldom rains. In the popular mind
the snake is associated with dryness,
and no one speaks of the swamp RATHER.
But, like great many other popular
beliefs, this is wide Of the mark. On
the Texas coast we have great many
broad bodies Of water, and frequently
mile after mile of trackless waste in
tervenes between point and point or
island and island. The experienced
boatmen who travel these broad bays
and bayous can tell a different story
about the RATHER. They know that his
favorite place of abode is along the
water fronts where sufficient conceal
ment can be had, and that swim of q
few miles is but pastime.
Said an old boatman to a reporter for
the Lavaca TEX Lavacaen: ST have
seen rattlers swimming far out in
Matagorda bay, at least eight miles
from the nearest point Of land. They
seem to have location in view, and
nothing can make them turn back or
depart from their course. I have tried
to make them face about or move along
a different point Of the compass, but all
to no purpose. The snake loses much
OF his courage and ferocity in the
water, for instinct teaches him that he
cannot strike to advantage. He swims
well and will try to escape, and have
known them to dive, but the regular
route will always be resumed, and the
bee returning to the hive with a de-
posit Of gathered sweets to be converted
into honey could not be more exacting."
It is the testimony of all who have
made study of the rattler that he will
always try to return to the place of his
birth. We have an illustration Of the
force of this instinct Of nature on the
Texas coast. Fronting on the gulf OF
Mexico in places are low sand islands,
partly covered with cactus, brush and
other vegetation in addition to the ma
OANC SIdSScS. AACSc 1S1dAus dTC I11S uO1uCS
of hundreds of rattlers. They were
submerged in the great storm of 1875
and every living thing washed away,
and not a snake remained. They were
found in swarms on the mainland for
days after the storm, but it was noticed
that they gradually disappeared, and 1t
was soon discovered that they returned
home by swimming across the bays and
bayous, and the succeeding season
found as many Of the dangerous reptiles
on the islands as ever. No ratt1er was
drowned, and the hope entertained by
the returning people that they were all
destroyed was soon dispelled. Another
popular belief about the RATHER not
based on fact is that they cannot stand
cold weather. It Is fact they are not
found in the tropical countries of Cen
trail and South America. They have
been seen moving about when heavy
frost prevailed, and they flourish as
well in Pennsylvania or Kansas as they
do in Texas or Florida. Like the tur-
key, the RATHER is native to the North
American continent.