The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1894-08-07
AN ASP AND DEADLY.
AMERICAS MOST DEADLY SNAKE IS
THE PlCHU-CUATE.


THE PlCHU-CUATE.
It Is Found In the Southwest Snake
Charmers Are Afraid Of It-A Tiny Thing,
but 1t Kills Very QuickIy-A Writer Tells
of His First Meeting With One.
The southwest Is more literally sup
piled with venomous things than any
other area In the Union. In the burn
ing deserts, In the inhabited but arid
expenses Of New Mexico and Arizona,
the rattlesnake abounds, and in several
varieties, including the strange and
deadly "sidewinder, Crotolus cerastes.
The SO called tarantula-really only
gigantic bush spider, but none the less
dangerous because Of the misnomer-is
decidedly common. Scorpions are none
too rare In the southern portions Of the
territories, and in all parts oentipeds
Of to inches long are frequent and
neighborly. But the chief distinction
of the region in this respect is the pres
ence Of the pichu-cuate, the deadliest
snake in North America
The pichu-cuate matches the worst
serpent Of India Not only the most
highly venomous, but the tiniest and
most treacherous, he would be also the
most dangerous-but. luckily, he Is the
rarest. He is the only true asp on this
continent, and in the United States Is
never found outside of New Mexico and
Arizona. That he was also known to
the ancient Mexicans is apparent from
his name pichu-coatl, an Aztec word,
which was brought up to our territory
by the Spanish conquerors
My first meeting with one was In
Valencia county, N. M, in June, 1890,
on the sandy TANKS Of the Cerro del
Aire was out hunting jack rabbits, in
company with some Indian friends. and
had dismounted to stalk, leading my
pet horse by the bride. My eyes were
ON small chapparo bush ahead, when
suddenly Alazan snorted and reared
backward SO violently as almost to un
hinge my arm. 1 looked about in sur
prise, for Alazan was too good horse
to mind trifes. As there was nothing to
be seen, started to pull him forward.
Again he protested and with evident
terror, and CHANGING to look at my very
feet / understood his fear and felt
very grateful that his senses were better
than mine, for in another step should
have walked upon my death.
The only thing visible was tiny OBJ
jeot, not nearly SO large as a good stag
beetle-merely head and perhaps an
inch of neck. But 1t was the most
frightful object in its kind that 1 had
ever seen. The head, certainly neither
80 broad nor so long as my thumb nail,
had shape and an air Of condensed
malignity impossible to describe. 1t
seemed the very essence of wickedness
and hate, fairly bullying with deadly
spite, and growing upon one until 1t
looked several times it's actual size.
The ugly triangle (which is the distin-
gushing mark of all venomous snakes,
being formed by the poison gland back
Of each eye) told me at once that Ala
zan was keeping up his reputation
never did he shy at a harmless snake
and the tiny horns, which added pc
culiar and grotesque hideousness, left
no doubt that this was a pichu-cuate.
He had buried himself most to the head
in the gray sand. against which his up
per skin was barely distinguishable. and
thus in ambush was waiting for some
thing to turn up.
Turning Alazan loose, / knelt at the
safe distance of yard to study the lit
tie creature, which fairly swelled with
murderous rage. 1t not only struck
madly at the ohapparo switch thrust
to it, but at last, evidently discerning
that the blame lay back of the switch.
actually followed 1t up, and with such
agility that 1 had to jump up and back
without loss Of time. The idea Of re-
treat never seemed to enter that fiat
head. Sometimes he would lie and puff
out with impotent rage, throwing his
mouth SO wide open that 1t seemed the
venom must start, and sometimes he
glided toward me, his head an inch
above the ground, with an attitude
which seemed to say, "Stand still there,
and We'll see who laughs"
At last killed him. He was neither
larger round nor longer than an ordi-
nary lead pencil; cold, leaden gray
ON the back, but underneath rosy as the
mouth Of a conch she'll The fangs were
tiny, not much more than an eighth Of
an inch long, and as delicate as the TIM
est needle. A wondrous mechanism, this
mouth, with its two automatic needles
80 infinitesimal. yet so perfectly compe-
tent. Iopened the ugly little jaws wide,
pressing upon the sides of the head, and
when the recurring fangs had risen
from their grooves In the roof Of the
mouth and stood tense stream 30 in
conceivably fine that the eye could bare
ly note 1t spurted from each, and In the
space of two or three inches melted into
invisible spray. Yet that jet, finer than
a cobweb strand, was enough to give
swift death to the largest and strongest
animal that walks.
When the hunt was over, told my
Indian chums Of the piohu-cuate and
asked them many questions. They all
knew Of the snake. though several had
never seen one and all agreed that 1t is
extremely rare. The orotalus ranks
among the Pueblo divinities, and their
charmers have no Difficulty with that
steady going and respectable reptile.
But even among these people, with
whom the cult Of the rattlesnake has
such astounding features and where I'M
til recent years every Pueblo kept sa-
cred rattlesnake in sacred room, with
special priests to attend him. the vii
famous little sand viper is accursed-
Even those who have 1.-THE power Of the
snake" can do nothing with him. He
soorns to be tanned even by the drop
ping upon his head of the mystic pollen
Of the corn blossom. Y. Lummis In