The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-05-21
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SCRANTON. May 2o.-"The rattlesnake. like
the skunk" said an old rattlesnake hunter,
minds Its own business and doesn't interfere
with any other creature. unless IL Is molested.
In an old wood road one spring l got sight oil
. rattlesnake and q pheasant near together.
Tho pheasant was picking seeds on the
ground. and the snakes eyes were glittering
ut II from the centre Of It's coll. so I kept back.
expecting to see the RATHER strike at the bird.
In case 1t came nenr enough. / soon noticed
that the pheasant was crippled. but that 1t
picked all around tho rattlcsnake. as though
It didn't see II. although the snake moved its
head and eyed the bird. When the pheasant
had llmped around In front OF the snake 1t was
not more than q quarter OF the snakes length
away from the coil. but the RATHER didn't stir.
and the bird continued to feed. with its tail
toward the snake. All OF . sudden a wildcat
bounced on the pheasant from the side OF the
road. and Just as suddenly the RATHER shot out
Its head. struck its fsnGs In the wildcats
left shoulder. and coiled again. The wildcat
leaped Into the air with n scream. the pleas
ant nuttered into the brush. and tho snake
struck again just rs the wildcat came down..
hitting 1t In the ribs. The wildcat sprang
upon q log. and began to bite its side. and the
rattlerthrew itself into q coil and elared at II.
In q moment the wildcat gave n cry. jumped
down.. and started to run around the snake.
sissipg and splitting till tho rattlor struck
again but failed to rench. 1t coiled once more.
and ike a flash the wildcat got its teeth in tho
back OF its neck. rendering the snake power
less to use its fanR.. and while the RATHER was
wIithing the Wildcat ripped its body into strips
the log and began to lick It's shoulder. but In
three or four minutes 1t tumbled of. had q
spasm Or two. and stretched out as dead as
~ IWhiIe engaged n killing many hundreds
added. l have never seen but one fight be-
tween . RATHER and a blacksnake. and that
between the same Kinds Of reptiles The rattle
snake was stretched out on n rock. under a
down: il threw Itself into "s : coli and raised it's
head toward the sumach. IN the top Of which
. .Scst T ": s : SIliHss 81 .hs t,I, hsS nssf q !; s-. %aes :
tion q seeing 4 done with my v eyes. The
over the rattlesnake. where It remained
snot6er like Samesocks ready for . bat
tIe. In a short time the blacksnake, let
that the rattiesnake buzzed a little. ran out its
s swins E, .h ,Ss s1S1iS ass snsss ,o %S ! 1..si, . W I,stls
ssbout three feet apart the 'blaeSsneSs slid
how It did II. and ia the. next. instsnt.the Jaws
Of THE two wers locked; and the rather was
chance to coil itself around its antagonist, It
was plain that the rattlesnake had fastened its
s !sRss the Ia yslsess s1sit'ns eaiss t under seize ''K X
~ the neck, and that ii. had then given
the blacksnAke z Jerk that flung It out
within an ace Of eoi!ine around, Us RATHER.
completely disabled. when il loosened its hold
! Ard struck ,ss the slaSksnake twice in ne side:
writings Of the blacEsnafe tili It died. I
wanted tho blecksnake to XIII the %rattler. but
as " 4 ts''e@ most to 90 i io,e1 H,.'ia It m snsfs Och.
snske sir.. The, e ca . , tSfset her from HrpS;
beg bssaa a'Ft to rattle Sh = sid Gent = ana and a"% eiesllsnsss
within fifteen or twenty, inches OF one another.
t%inki Ing they nsse eetfed s1 and in as one ss1 another thos 2
ipe snd hitting each other is the neck and on
ined / could SEE the. liquid poison in the air
Ing. and that. was to strike with ali their
H %.f thy az" sSy 3. ss sssp 1i tasn tis ass n wisneG. 3 G e wss
. fight to a 0nish: for when It was ended both
snakes were dead, and, not q rattle was left on
u once saw a skunk spproach 50 n 'ssssrftto t. q
The noise must have startled the
spray struck, the rattlesnake square in the
face and instantly the reptile flew into the
striking. as though a auid q. tobacco had been
into Its mouth: The slekeninc odor
overcamet the snake. and inside Of Ave minutes
ITSELF