The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1892-07-23
HABITS OF SNAKES.
Erroneous BeIiefs Re,ysrdins Their Meth
s,ds of Attack,

snakes are regarded Is probably the still |
lingering superstition which led to the |
belief that the devil, the representative |
of all that was evil and abhorrent, took |
the form of serpent. And Thus from
time inmemorial 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 creBtures. This is no doubt due
| TO the numerous instances in which
they have been attacked, but have es-
capped from their enemy. Their common
dread of snakes has led to many errone-
GUS beliefs regarding their habits.
| One such error Is that q snake can
| jump into the air and seize 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 a few years past have had good
opportunities of observing the habits of
the rattlesnake and the black snake.
Of the former have in my collection
four skins of different varieties, which
l have taken from snakes which have
interviewed and investigated One is the
yellow diamond backed kind another is
the black diamond back, and another is
the black-barred va. !ety.
The fourth is one of solid color,
deep black, which | captured in my fish
pond in North Carolina as it was en-
gagged in swallowing some young ducks
l watched this snake for some time
as il swan from the bank to the brood
of ducks and drew one under water,
carrying it to the shore, where it gorged
its prey and came for another. When
it took the third one landed quietly
and captured it. When it was cornered
: it coled. as is popularity supposed, for
spring. and | teased it with stick in an
attempt to make it spring. 1t was a
, large one, about three feet long, and
t coiled half its length on the ground and
struck at the stick, but made no further
5 advance than the length of it's upper
a half, which was held erect between it's
strikes
e | worried it in this way for several
t minutes, when l killed it and skinned
S it,cutting it's head off before began, to
A make sure of safety, having previously
! experienced the difficulty of killing one
4 perfectly dead. When the snake was
e half skinned and was holding it by
JllC VI IllS SbiipPAIiS piiO
;. skin it struck at my arm repeatedly
e ly with its headless neck with consid-
i erable force, and the naked body after
c ward colled itself as if alive.
d This experience was repeated three
t times afterwards, but in no instance did
5 the snake jump; it only struck the
y length of the uncoiled part of its body.
n And in each instance did the headless
e snake strike back as it was being
p skinned. This is undoubtedly the re-
r flex action of the nerves of motion due
G to continued use, and is not uncommon
't in other reptiles.
:, One of these snakes 1 captured as il
o was robbing a quail's nest. The nest
Il was in one of my meadows, and as
h passed the quail was fluttering violent
l. ly and darting back and forth at some
G thing in the grass. This was a rattler
l. whose skin, now among my collection
e of curios, is over four feet long, and hac
thirteen rattles and a button.
t, 1t was partly coiled and was striking
lie at the bird as it darted close by thu
n, snakes head. Between times it wa
/ swallowing the eggs. When / cam'
lie quite close it threw itself into larg'
rs coil and ratified vigorously and strucl
IT at my stick, but it did not juWp or throw
g itself further than its erected part
IS which was but little more than foo
ID in length
IN Another one captured on the road
N side as was riding by. My horse sud
m denly SHE'D and snorted and shook witt
le terror. then saw the snake coiled OF
$, the bank asleep. When l alightet
IT. and attacked it, it behaved in precisel,
e, the same manner without jumping il
Id the least, but striking violently at tn
tn stick. My worSmen have killed severa
d. of them, and in every instance, at IN,
to request, have noted their behavior, an
is in none did the snake make any attemp
he to jump.
It, once saw a large black snake re
is freshing itself with a draught of swee
e. milk from one of my cows. The COY
Sc was lying contentedly ruminating, an
ne the snake lay stretched at length sucl
hit ing one of the teats. killed the snake
VS. and fully quart of milk ran from
IS. when it was cut open. AS the cow ha
he often been found short of her fu
measure l concluded that this snak
had been in the habit of milking her.
l think there can be no doubt tina
the rattle of the Crotalus horridus
used as a means of defense to ward o
an attack by causing fear, just as othe
snakes hiss when disturbed. The soun
is not unlike course hiss, approachin
a soft whir. 1t is not n rattle by an
means. Only one animal l know {
lis is free from fear of this snake. Cow
d. and horses both dread it and evinC
he great terror even when the smell of
DIS is perceived. The pig, on the otht
a hand, makes u satisfactory meal of i
IL and in the mountain woods, whel
nd thousands of hogs have run at large fc
We years, and in some places have ri
re wild as in the European forests an
lis have acquired equal ferocity, the ia
by tier is so scarce that some persons hay
1t. never seen one, although in the pr
Ia hibition localities this animal seems
nv, be much more abundant, judging fro
~ the numerous applications to the dru
uh stores for quart of whisky, which
'P, said TO be an unfailing remedy for Il
nd bite.
a The fangs of the rattler usually
a backward until stroke is made whC
ftr they are erected and present sha
hooks, bending backward so as to no
he the prey securely.-N. Y. Times.
ay An Extinct Indian Race.
m The Bothicll Indians of Newfoun
1orJ n,,u ti,,a tba obOyirinn1 In, IA ~