New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-12-01

that the mouth must split and then the distended
bod, showed the mouse slowly moving TO It's grave.
In the case with the Florida snake vas pid'''e
rattler and an Arizona diamond-pacN' Inc ia''''
| is an exceedingly rare snake to see III c"p'N''''
II makes It's home In the most ARD ana ho'e'.
| parts OF the Territory whose name IL pedtS an"
though not uncommon, Is seldom oio"e'' '
from its desert home.
FANGs OF THE MOCCASlN.
r,or,5a moccasin. which also lately gave birth
"a nine Young ones that spiendidly Marked
has box to herself. and the owner, a'ter press
ing her neck down with a stick Grdooeu '"e
venomous brute by that part OF the po'F an"
showed the writer the poison fanes' lheSe are
two curved teeth that, when at rest. lie In slo's
in the upper jaw but when striking come uo"n
in curve and do all the MISCHIEF. Ihese IansS
oasured round the curve are nearly three-eighths
OF inch long =.
handed RATHER found in this State was in
particularly bad temper. and kept up continuous
rattle for nearly half hour Inefe was one
more OF this family. a ground Rather WHO "'7o
objected to strangers. In another nox was a
connerhead who had lately enlarged the collec-
zion with seven Youngsters. wicked. but wonder
fully marked These were all the poisonous
snakes but altogether there were twenty-five Of
them the owner having given away NUMBER
OF the babies.
Among the non poisonous. which number twenty
six in this collection by far the largest Is Texas
bull snake measuring eight feet SIX incnes IN
length and as thick as an ordinary mans tore-
| arm This snake is terror TO the prairie 'o6s
! and rabbits. crushing its Victims TO death IL Is
| an egg layer, laying as many as sixteen wni'e
! eggs in clutch These are the counterpart Oh 'he
| egg of the common fowl: -, ., -. 49,,
snake that is pitch black s mo gopher, nnt tne
skin is irdescent. and under Favorable shts every
| shade OF color is seen II lives IN sWanpy place
and on the banks Se m Shef food is fish,
and II hardly ever misses one that comes al! "here
near it, and frogs do not come amss
CANNIBALIsM.
! The black snake would be much more useful
reptile II he only bigger. for there is nothing he
| likes better for a meal than snake lie attacks
his prey nercely and will swallow II while still alive
! Though called the black snake. ne IL not half "a
4 ebon as the gopher. the stomach being OF dis
/ tlncty light color.
] The hosnoee snake is to be found in this neigh
/ borhood and owing to the yellow markings on the
hack of the head neck and body Is often mistaken
| for the coppernead. The head ends almost square
! ly and this snake has the power oi hattenlhg oul
Il is not be wondered at that the crawer inspires
fear. but in reality he IS perfectly harmless MS
The snake OF South Carolina is fne!y marked
in various shades Of brown Ne Is useful ,b on tine
which he squeezes to death in a moment The gar
easily distinguished by his bands OF darkest brown.
The in the collection seen was caught last sum
10 th.rty-two young ones At this rate a dozen gar
| ter snakes would stock whole county. and II
is a fortunate thing that they are quite harmless:
spending their lives In keeping down the troops OF
croaking frogs specimen OF a CALIFORNIA carter
! snake shows a much handsOmer reptile than the
Eastern Instead of having bands Of color, 1t IS
heavily spotted with small dark bolches and would
be hard to distinguish from any rocky or stony
ground, where II makes It's home
The ribbon snakes are the long thin brown snakes
with yellow lines that can often be seen on rivers
and lakes. They are wonderful swimmers and woe
! betide the ninnoW any other small nsh that
within the view Of one of hese. They are
most expert fishermen always landing their fish. or.
4 In other words swallowing il The true water
snake is dark brown. with reddish bands. and IS
quite grea, a terror 10 the fish as are the rib
bons II s commonly believed that all water snakes
are poisonous: these certainly are not.
FANGS ARE SMALL.
Besides the tive snakes there were many other
things Of interest In the room all having some
thing TO do with the snake. \ box divided into
small compartments had the poison fangs OF the
snakes These shed every now and then, and
found the floor OF the cage. Ia almost
every they are much smaller IMAM one would