The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-02-17

1t thrashed the grass fiat in a space five
feet IN diameter, and never saw a creature
stretched out motsonless. and cut off its
norm, which had no hollow in it. The
y Wounded gopher was squeaiing In some
brush, and its rescuer was trying hard to
coax IL into hole, but it had been done
for by the snake. and it died in little
How 1t does n AXE toad's eyes hang out
when a hoopsnake gets after 1t. The toad
knSws that its goner, and it begins to hop
snake has touched it. The snake is in no
hurry, Tor vt knows very well that the toad
right Comfort in II hearing a the toad wall. It
crawls behind the toad. and when it gets
good and ready 1t throws its tail forward
the eyes with the point of the horn. The
TOAD backs up few inches, and the snake
kicks with s fa hnd foot pd 1ne to t
grass with its front feet, keeping UP a
p1teous squealing all the time. The snake
let's 1t kick and claw for spell. but by and
by knocks the toad on the head till it stops
kicking; and swallows it.
nile a hoopsnake was handling a toad
IN that way one spring / saw a bullsnake
interfere The bullsnake of Texas is a big
Ieaded reptile. about three. feet long. It's
body tapers all the way like a cone, and
it has two curved teeth in the upper jaw,
and is nonpoisonous. The hoopsnake had
the the toad by hind foot. and. of course; the
Load was making all the noise it knew how.
suddenly a bullsnake glided out of the bush
and struck at the hoopsnalSe's middle with
It's upper Jaw Inc nOOpSndke instantly
leased the toad, faced the bullsnake. and
hit it on the neck with it's horn The blow
didn't phase the bullsnake a particle 1t re-
turned the attack with a side winder that
knocked the hoopSnake out of the path
The latter must have been very much as
tonished. for, instead of sailing into the big
fellOW again, it cleared out at once and the
bClis make seized the toad right away and
started to swallow it.
"A friend out there told me of a battle he
once witnessed between two hoppsnakes
They were facing another a bare
spot, ana We're striking at each others heads
with their horns. They hit oftener than
they missed and they kept at it till one of
snake lay still them. as though that had
been the agreement between them before
hand, and the other one continued to rap
it on the head till it died.
An acquaintance had wild ride one fall
on mare that had always been as gentle
as lamb. The mare was trotting along in
the grass all right. when, like flash, she
gave a scream as though from intense pain,
The man was an expert rider, and although
he kept in the saddle, he could do nothing
with the mare.
She kicked, and bounded, and sprang
cred with lather, and the rider was unable
to make her keep still for a second. He
couldn't get off to examine her, and he was
In the worst kind of a predicament for ten
on the verge of dropping from exhaustion,
an approaching horseman saw what the
trouble was He headed the mare off with
his horse. dismounted in haste, and with
suffering in hurry. A bullsnake thirty-thre
inches long had struck the mare in the belly
and its crooked fangs had got fast in the
hide. The horseman cut the snake in two
soon Guieted down and was all right the
next day.