Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-05-30
SNAKES PLAY DEAD.
ATRICK PRACTlCEO BY The "ei 0W-
ING vIPERS."

when Brought to. Fay, They Mako Pre-
tense of Killing Observation-Disclosures
sions of a Scientific Gentleman Who Has
Made n Study of S;,:i.,coIogy.
For a long time lilvo desired infor-
nation from Others ;.Iout common
trick of tho ordinary blowing viper,
Or spreadhead snake (ieterodon, In sew
eral species). l have observed that such
animals when much Worried or slight
iy hurt will frequently feign death.
This habit has doubtless been often re-
ported before, but do not recall having
seen definite mention of it in print but
once. Several months ago some one
writing about snakes in daily news
paper alluded to this matter, and gave
as an explanation the offhand statement
that the snake became frightened and
''fainted from fear That this is not
the explanation will, | think, appear
FROM what | have noted about several
cases that came under my own observa-
ton
The first time ever noticed this be-
havior on the part of a snake was when
I was child. At that time | was one
day crossing field, accompanied by an
old negro man and small dog. The
dog found a common black spreadhead,
and without actually taking hold of it
began to worry it by running around
it, swapping at it and barking Anxious
to save my f1iend-the dog-from what
I supposed was deadly peril, | struck
the snake with the only weapon quickly
available, Il small whip carried in my
hand. The sake Immediately elected
a toad it had recently swallowed, then
appeared to bite itself in the side, and
promptly turned on its back and stiff
ened, but did not become stretched
straight out, and lay perfectly still.
There was not even a wiggle in its tail
when pinched. Believing, as | then
did, that all snakes were venomous,
supposed this one had killed himself,
and 1emarking that he seemed dead
enough was on the point of leaving
him. But the old negro said: "Oh,
no! If you leave them when they bite
themselves, then their mates come along
and lick the bite, and they come to.
So | smashed the snakes head in a
way that no amount of licking would
ever heal. The. old man evidently
knew by some means that snakes
which appeared thus to commit suicide
would recover, and knowing no real ex-
PLANTATION of why they should he in
vented one Therein he followed the
example of more eminent men than
himself. Before l again noticed such
action by a snake had studied zoology
a little. and had learned that the spread
head was said to be nonvenomous.
Consequ entity when l next met one and
began to cultivate a closer acqualnt-
ance with him. and he seemed after
time to kill himself, was much sur
prised, and. began to investigate his
mouth to see if he did not have poison
fangs after ALL He, as they all do, had
turned himself on his back and was lying
rigid in that position. In the course OF
my Investigations turned him over,
right side up" again. He was play
ing dead so earnestly that he could not
lie in so lifelike position, but immedi-
ately turned himself ON his back again.
Then of course l knew that snake
which was too dead to stay in the po-
sition in Which l placed him was too
alive to be very badly hurt. deter
mined to watch him. Accordingly l re-
moved him to a smooth, clear place and
then Withdrew to little distance to
quietly watch developments. In about
Is minutes the snake cautiously raised
his head and two or three inches of his
body and looked around. If he saw me,
he failed to recognize me, and in few
seconds had turned himslef over and
was making off, When l advanced
quickly toward him, he redoubled his
| efforts to escape, but was easily cap
| tured. He did not, at that time, again
"play possum.
Often since then have watched them
| go through this pretended suicide. Usu-
ally when becoming active again, they
behave like the one just described, but
occasionally when they find themselves
| overtaken as they are making off, they
will again at once feign death. Some
times while playing dead, if one is
sharply priclsed with a needle or other
| wise acutely stimulated, he will prompt
| " resume his interest in surrounding
things and either show fight or try to
escape.
Occasionally when l have spoken to
friends about this matter and they have
shown disposition to regard my state
| ments as snake stories, in the popular
sense of that expression, have been
fortunate enough to get hold of a spread
head and show them what 1 had before
| described to them.
1t is usually easy to provoke Heter-
odon niger, H. platyrhinus, or H. sinus
into feigning death by striking him
with small twigs or good bunch OF
broom straw, or by little brisk han
ding. wish some one else would ex-
anime these snakes with reference to
this habit and report his conclusions.
| think ''fainting from fear' is shown
to be wrong by the snakes refusing to
stay in any other position than fiat ION
his back.
Recently while conversing with a
friend about this matter he suggested
that perhaps the rattlesnakes, which are
so often provoked into biting them
selves and then seeming to die, were
also acting a deceptive part in order to
escape. This seems more probable, as
one noted experimenter, DR.. S. Weir
Mitchell, says that the injection of rat
f1ocpoLa'c venom into the Snaka'S own
circulation does not appear to cause