The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-07-25
RATTnEsNAKE LORE.
Tho Question IL, Do They DlsohafEo or
Spit Their Venom. II

| WpVuStOGAt NM Ways VIC AtoS 4SssSA
am inclined to side with Or. Ellzey 10
the statement that rattlesnakes do not
spit or eject their venom. 1have had
some experience with rattlers, had been
bitten by five-footer, have killed
few, have seen more that others have
killed, rhaye pinioned them under q
heavy billet Of wood and then leased
them with a long stick; and l have
never seen one spit, have never seen
one dripping poisonous saliva from its
fangs; in fact have mover seen one
with it's mouth open when in coil. Tho
opening of the mouth is done at the
time and in part OF the act Of strik-
ing, and is done too quick for the ordi-
nary eye to see.
And then again have disseGted some
half dozen or more; and have invariably
found the fangs and poison sac enclosed
in q slight membrane. In cases whore
the snake had been leased until 1t
would strike at sticks or any other OBJ
| iect, this membrane was broken; but in
two instances where the snake was shot
and the back was broken, the mem
brane was. found intact. All of which
goes to show that the snake must strike
something TO rupture this membrane
before the poison can be elected.
] have seen one rattler with half
grown rabbit in his mouth. The rab-
BIT was alive, and when the snake was
shot and in its writings the rabbit
slipped from its mouth and ran away
unhurt.
Once again l saw a RATHER catch a
mother quail. The bird had a brood of
newly Matched chicks. and in her efforts
to lead the snake away from her young
she ventured too near and was caught
The snake was killed In the act of swal-
lowing the bird, The quail when re-
leased was apparently Supplied, but
after some time came 10 Its senses
enough to stagger of, and the next day
was discharRing the duties OF mother
in good shape. Both Of these snakes l
dessected very carefully; and in both 1
found tho membrane inclosing the
fangs and poison sacs unbroken, which
proves, I think, that the rattler does
not use his poisonous fangs to procure
food, but simply for defense, and that
he can not spit or throw his venom I'M
til no has been in scrimmage long
enough to get his artillery in condition.
One writer in the Century not long ago
told Of rattler splitting full teaspoon
full OF venom, which struck the writer
oh the forehead. Now l would not
dispute that statement for the world,
but don't believe there is q full tea
spoonful OF venom at one time in any
six OF the largest rattlers to be found in
Florida. :;
their experience, it is all interesting
and we may get down to bottom facts
after while. S. D. KENDALL,
Says the second letter: Do snakes
spit venom? think not, Professor
Cope to the contrary Notwithstanding.
Does the rattlesnake, in coil. awaiting
an opportunity to strike, hold his
mouth open and fangs erect, dripping
poisonous saliva, which by forcible ex-
piration of air from the lungs is spat
out at his enemy2 I think not, unless
on very rare occasions. l have seen
rattlers in coil, and seen them strike
from coil very often, but never saw one
holding its mouth open, with erect
fangs, dripping poisonous saliva. That
which l have considered most remark
able in this reptile is the ightning-like
suddenness and celebrity of its stroke.
The Jaws are separated, the fangs
erected and the stroke delivered with
such CELEBRITY as toS render it diff
cult for the eye to follow the
movement or to take in what has, hap
pened. This suddenness and celebrity
OF the stroke seems to me to be very
dangerous characteristic. 1t is so I'm
expected in areptile 80 slow and ap-
pare tly torpid in Its general move
ments. It ia certain that not few
persons have lost their lives by striking
at rattler in coil with too short a
weapon, the snake lodging the blow
with astonishing quickness, and at the
came instant striking back at the assail-
ant with deadly effect have never
seen the rattlesnake eject its venom,
but have seen the copperhead do II
repeatedly, but not by splitting or ex-
pectorating it. The election takes
place when the snake strikes in
effectually at an object beyond its
reach, and is literally wholly in
voluntry thing. The venom may be
thrown as much as two or three feet as
the result OF tho Intellectual stroke. l
do not undertake to say what Professor
Cope states has not happened, but do
say it does not happen, as a rule, with
either tho common mountain species or
the diamond RATHER OF the South. To
mo the statement Of poisonous saliva
dripping from the fangs Of an open
mouthed rather seems incomprehenst
BILE. The saliva of snake isnot poison
GUS it 10 extremely viscid, and will not
drip any more than the slime will drop
of an eel, nor does snake possess the
power to expectorate, or spit at al, and
certainly not with Its mouth wide open.