The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1892-10-13
HOOP SNAKES.
Il Is scientifically Demonstrated That,
They Are But MYTHS.

It Is Scientifically Demonstrated That,
They Arc But Myths.
There is probably not a, community
or neighborhood comprising a dozen
families in any state in the Union
that hasn't one or more representa-
ives who lay claim to having, at one
time or another stood face to face,
with hoop snake One. will declare
this horrid creature wriggles its wav
to the top of some eminence, takes ito
horny, barbed tail in it's mouth, and
then. standing on edge like a hoop
swiftly rolls 70 the low lands or stons
on the way to drive its venomed spike
into some luckless mem Der Of animal
creation. Another knows that the
main points in this story are correct
but his hoop snakeship. according to
this last authority on serpepts doesn't
take the barbed tail IN his mouth;
that would mean certain death to the
snake himself There is bow
socket between his eyes especially
provided for the reception of the bar
bed tail-piece. This socket is q re-
gular venom distillery. and is con-
stantly filed with a greenish l1ouor
to depth sufficient to cover the horn
back to the barb the whole of which
is perfect counterpart of a rounded
fishing gig. The above are two YER
slons of the way hoop snake does
business. But there is, still another
story illustrative of his mode of op-
Grafton. In the Carollnas thew saw
the hoop snakes poisonous singing
morn is concealed in sheath and
that 1t can be shot out with the ra-
pidity of lightning whenever the oc-
caslon requires. How long such
stories have been in circulation. or
why they are believed in, saws the
st. Louis Republic. after it has been
scientifically demonstrated hundreds
of times that hoop and thorn"
snakes are myths of the most myth
lcal kind. is one of the popular errors
that has never as yet been fully ex-
planned. Some believers in hoop
snake stories even go so far as to de-
clare that trees have been killed al
most instantly by this awful creature
driving its spike through the bark
and mingling its venom with the sap.
Here is story which illustrates this
last mentioned peculiarly of the pois-
on OF the serpent in question. It is
taken verbatim from the Page, Va,
News:
LAS a couple of gentlemen were
riding down the Roanoke Valley
recently. they saw huge, green
colored snake writhing and twisting
at the root of beech tree. Going
closer: they discovered that it was
one of the horned species of hoop
snake. 1t had formed itself into a .
hoop by taking its tail in it's mouth
and had rolled down the hill in per-
suit Of rabbit or some other small
game. Its velocity probably became
so great that it could not guide itself.
Finally it struck the tree with such
force as to drive its horn into the
solid wood to the depth of an inch. = Is
There are great many trees in that
vicinity that have been struck in the
same way and they invariably die.
So deadly is the poison that leaves
on oak trees have been known to-,
wither in less than an hour after be-
ing struck"
Scientific authority on this question
is valuable. Rheem. the serpent ex-
pert of the Smithsonian Institution,
says: The hoop snake has no ex-
istence except in the Imagination; it.
is purely fictitious"