The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1892-05-26
THE HABITS OF SNAKES.
Many Erroneous Beliefs Regarding
Them.

Many Erroneous Beliefs Regarding
Them.
To the Editor of the Mean York Times:
The common aversion with whi"s
snakes are regarded is probably the still
lingering superstition which led to the
belief that the devil, the iepreF entative
of all that was evil and ahhorreDt, took
the form of q serpent. AMI thus from
time imme,norial the snakes have been
regarded with antipathy by the hui
man race. But the lower animals have
also the same instructive aversion and
dread ;of these creatures. his Is no
doubt due to the numerous II stances IL
which they have been attacked but have
escaped from their enemy. This COM
mon dread of snakes has led to many er-
roneous beliefs regarding their habits.
One such error is that snake can
jump into the air and seize bird on the
wing. Another is that it can charm its
nrev and bv the terror evoked by its
mere appearance cause its victim to lily
into it's mouth.
For few wears 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
have taken from snakes which have in
teryiewed and invests ated. One is the
yellow diamond backed kind, another Is
the black diamond back, and another is
the black barred variety.
The fourth is one of solid color, dee
black. which | captured in my fshpond
in North Carolina as it was engaged IN
swallowing some yOune ducks. watch
ed this snake for some time as 1T s~ am
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. Nhen
it was cornered it coiled, as is popularity
supposed, for a spring, and L leased 1t
with stick in an attempt to make 1T
spring. 1t Was large one, about three
feet long. and 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
between its strikes.
l worried it in this way for several
minutes. when killed it and skinned it,
cutting it's head off before | began, to
make sure of safety, having previously
experienced the difficulty 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 it's
headless neck with considerable force,
and the naked body afterward coiied it.
self as if alive
This experience was repeated three
times afterward, but in no instance did
the snake jump; it only struck the length
of the uncoiied 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 | captured rs it
was robbing a quali's nest. The nest W S
in one of my meadows, and as | passed,
the quail was fiuttering violently and
darling back and forth at somethiT in
the grass This was a RATHER, whose skin
is now among my collection of curiosities
which is over four feet long, and mad thir
teen rattles and button. 1t was partly
coiled, and was striking at the bird as it
darted close by the snakes head. Be-
tween times it was swallowing the eggs
When | came 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 it's erected
part, which was but little more than Il
foot in length
Another one | captured on the roads
side as l was riding by. My horse sud
denly SHE'D and snorted and shook with
terror I then saw the snake coiled on
the bank asleep. When l alighted and
attacked it, it behaved in precisely the
same manner, without jumping in the
least, but striking violently at the stick.
MY workmen have killed several of them
and in every instance, at my request,
have noted their behavior, and i'll none
did the snake make any attempt to jump.
once saw large black snake refresh
ing itself with drau2ht of sweet milk
from one of my cows. The COW was lying
contentedly Illuminating, and the snake
lay stretched at length sucking one Of
the teats. l killed the snake and fully a
quart of milk ran from it when it was cut
open. AS the COW had often been found