The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-07-07

ERRORS ABOUT SNAKES.
Queer Superstitions That Some
People Entertain.
The Habits Of Certain Varieties of Rep
tiles as Described by One Who
Has Studied Them
Closely.


snakes are regarded is probably due to
the lingering superstition which led to
the belief that the devil, the represen-
tation of all that was evil and abhorrent,
took the form of serpent. And thus
from time immemorial the snakes have
been regarded with antipathy by the
human race But the lower animals
have also the same instructive aversion
and dread of these creatures. This is no
doubt due to the numerous instances in
which they have been attacked but have
escaped from their enemy. The COM
mon dread of snakes has led to many
erroneous beliefs regarding their habits
One such error is that snake can lump
into the air and seize a bird on the
wing. Another is that it can charm its
prey and by the terror evoked by its
mere appearance cause its victim to fly
into its mouth.
For few years past, says writer in
the New York Times, have had good
opportunities of observing the habits Of
the rattlesnake and the blacksnake.
OF the former have in my collection
four skins of different varieties, which
have taken from snakes which have
interviewed and investigated. One is
the yellow diamond-backed kind, an
other is the black diamond back, and
another is the black-barred variety.
The fourth is one of solid color, a deep
black, which captured in my fish pond
In North Carolina as it was engaged in
swallowing some young ducks
watched this snake for some time as it
swan from the bank to the brood of
ducks and drew one under water, car
rying 1t to the Shore where it gorged
its prey and came for another. When
1T took the third one | landed quietly
and captured it. When it was cornered
1t coiled, as is popularity supposed, for
spring, and leased it with stick in
an attempt to make it spring. 1t was a
large one, about three feet long, and it
coiled half Its length on the ground
and struck at the stick, but made no
further advance than the length of it's
upper half, which was held erect be-
tween its strikes. | worried it in this
way for several minutes, when killed
1t and skinned it, cutting its head off
before began, to make sure of safety,
having previously experienced the diff
Guilty of killing one perfectly dead.
When the snake was half skinned and
was holding it by the middle of the
body stripping the skin it struck at my
arm repeatedly with its headless neck
with considerable force, and the naked
body afterward coiled itself as if alive
This experiment was repeated three
times afterward, but in no instance did
the snake jump. 1t only struck the
length of the uncoiled part of its body.
And in each instance did the headless
snake strike back as it was being
skinned This is undoubtedly a reflex
action of the nerves of motion due to
continued use and is not uncommon
in other reptiles. One of these snakes
i captured as it was robbing a quail's
nest. The nest was in one OF my mead
ows, and as passed the quail was flut-
tering violently and darting back and
forth at something in the grass. This
was 4 RATHER, whose skin, now among
my collection of curios, is over four
feet long and had thirteen rattles and a
button. 1t was partly cCiled and was
striking at the bird as it darted close
by the snakes head. Between times
it was swallowing the eggs When |
came up quite close it threw itself into
a larger coil and ratified vigorously and
struck at my stick, but did not jump or
throw itself further than its erected
part, which was but little more than a
foot in length. Another one captured
on the roadside as | was riding by. My
horse suddenly SHE'D and snorted and
shook with terror. | then saw the snake
cooled on the bank asleep. When |
aighted and attacked it, it behaved in
precisely the same manner without
jumping in the least, but striking vio-
lently at the stick.
l once saw large black snake re-
freshing itself with draught of sweet
milk from one of my cows. The COW
was lying contentedly Illuminating, and
the snake lay stretched at length, suck
ing at one of the teatS. | killed the
snake and fully quart OF milk ran
from it when it was cut open. AS the
cow had often been found short of her
full measure / concluded that this
snake had been in the habit of milking
her. | think there can be no doubt
that the rattle of the Crotalus horridus
is used as means of defense to ward
off an attack by causing fear, just as
other snakes hiss when disturbed. The
sound is not unlike coarse hiss. ap-
preaching soft whir. 1t is not a rat
tie, by any means Only one animal l
know is free from fear of this snake
Cows and horses both dread it, and
evince great terror even when the
smell of it is perceived. The pig. on
the other hand, makes satisfactory
meal of it, and in the mountain woods,
where thousands of hogs have run at
large for years, and in some places
have run wild, as in the European for
eSts, and have acquired equal ferocity,
the RATHER is SO scarce that some per-
sons have never seen one, although in
the prohibition localities this animal
seems TO be much more abundant, iudg-
ing from the numerous applications to
the drug stores for quart of whisky,
which is said 10 be an uufailinF remedy
for the bite. The fanrs of the RATHER
usually lie backward until stroke is
made, when they are erected and pre-
sent sharp hooks, bending backward SO
SIS to hold the prey secure.
Tuning Musical Instruments
1t ha. often puzzled the Gninitiated 70
give 4 reason why musicians tune their
instruments in public, and not before
eQterinC the orchestra If they r,,r,,d