The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1894-02-15
A NEW BRAND OF SNAKES.


Ahcy IallS ana nlOuUnS
Catfish.
One VI the best known snake and
frog lunters around Baltimore is
) '1ank Adams, who lives near Light
Street pridge. ''Yank'' was a sharp
shooteF with Morgan's raiders in the
old dxys of the war, and he can
"creaJf squirrel, or pierce frogs
eye WI bullet in a fashion that
calls n commentator. Early the
other Morning ''Yank" took his shot
gun aIH his dog and sailed forth to
the CHI se.
lie crossed the river near the bridge
and went along near the fish house.
lie stopped to light his pipe and as he
did so his dog stood something in the
reeds. "Yank'' cooked his gun and as
the smoke curled from his lips he
sighted along the barrel and pulled the
trigger The dog plunged into the
water and after hunting around for
fully hive minutes returned to his mas
ter with disappointed look on his
face. He was puzzled; 50 was "Yank,"
and they waited silently. Presently
there was rustic among the reeds
and the dog again stood" As Adams
was about to pull the trigger he paused
in astonishment for within ten feet of
him were two large blueblacll snakes
and they were fighting over a small
duck that Adams had brought down at
the figft rs, Sparks seemed to H.
fssom TtiSe ~ ,gssles' eyes as they twisted
and turned their sinuous lengths
around the dead duck and tried to gain
sole possession of the coveted meal.
Adams had had visions of dinner of
wild duck, but when he saw the rep
tiles so bent on securing the game
themselves he gave up all hope. While
he watched the battle between the
snakes a flock of red-head ducks came
whirring up the river, but before
Adams could get to cover the ducks
veered around and went to the south
over the trees.
This made "Yank' angry, and get
ting his cartridges within easy reach
he laid down in pile of brush and
watched the snakes fight.
As he waited the sound of more
ducks coming aroused him and he pre-
pared for shot He raised and let go
his gun when the ducks We're within
range and two dropped while the 9th
ers scurried off. "Yank' was pleased
and he sent his dog after the game
The ducks were crippled but could
paddle about, and this excited the dog
who feared they would get away. He
swan out to the ducks and had gone
about half way when he gave a howl
of pain and dived. Adams attention
had been directed to the snakes, who
We're nearly exhausted by their fierce
fight but when he heard the dog he
turned and, as he says himself, he got
as pale as death
There was his dog surrounded by
horde of snakes who We're
striking at the animal with their
tails. The dogs bowls We're pitt
full. He dived number of times
and finally succeeded in reaching the
shore bleeding from a dozen wounds.
In his mouth was a snake and when
Adams had dispatched it he was aston
ished to find that he had run across "a
new variety of snake. 1t had a mouth
as large as a full-grown catfish and was
about nine inches long. At the end of
the tail was horny formation resem-
bling an arrow head, and even after
the snakes head had been crushed the
tail struck at everything within reach.
While Adams was wondering over the
strange freak of nature he saw the
snakes which had attacked his dog 60
ing up the river at rapid rate. The
ducks were dead and the snakes had
driven their horn tails into their
bodies and were dragging them off for
feast
Adams took care of his dogs wounds
and made tracks for his boat. He says
in all his experience he never before
saw horn-tailed snake, and he is
sorry he did not preserve the specimen
his dog captured for exhibition pur-
poses.
Adams says that on number Of oc-
casions he has noticed the bones of
small animals, birds and fish along the
shore, and he is convinced that they
were the remains of horn-tail snake
banquet At any rate the horn-tailed
snake is responsible for "Yank" Adams
not having duck for his dinner, but
"Yank' thinks he has been partially
compensated for the loss by the dis
covery of the new brand OF snakes
Baltimore World