St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1895-02-02

o. fair young player. We oft have thought
Our play more serious, the ends we sought
To be more noble and yet. trow,
Our work seems childish to the angels nov.
II. nj. Ho!lingsworth. in Ohio Farmer,
NEAR UNTO DEATH.
Snake Hunter ORE illy's Close Can
with a Copperhead.
Up in Putnam county, just a short
distance east of Cold Spring on the
Hudson, is famous place for the most
dangerous game to be found in this
part of the Countrywide copperhcad.
So common are these venomous snakes
that hunters when intending to tramp
through the thick lpnderbrush or the
tall marsh reeds which flank all the
roads about there wear heavy boots
reaching above the knee for protection
against the bites. In the very hot and
dry weather, when snakes are iveliest
and fiercest. sportsmen scarcely ven-
ture in the thicker part of the woods
L
reached the ears of G. r. OReilly, of
the Royal Geological Society of Ire
land, an ophiologist who is in this
country studying American snakes,
and he decided to go up to Cold Spring
and try to get some copperheads alive.
Mr.. OReilly has had experiences with
the cobra Of Africa, the fer-de-lance
of tire West Indies, the diamond-back
rattlesnake of this country and most
to science, but never did he come
nearer to disastrous Termination Of
his career than on his little jaunt to
Cold Spring. Also he was treated to
q repetition of . lesson in snakery
which he learned long ago, that one
must DO prepared for anything and
everything in hunting snakes.
1t was not a very favorable day
when he reached Cold Spring with q
companion from this city. The two
went directly to l. Z. Hanyen, of Nell
sonvilie, who knows more about
snakes than any other man In Putnam
county, and asked him for informa-
tion regarding the haunts of the cop
perheads.
''Go right down to Muddy bridge,
about three miles from here" said the
veteran. ''You can find more copper
heads there than there is in barrel of
applejack. What are you going to
catch 'em with?"
Here's our outfit" said Mr.. O'Reilly,
exhibiting long stick crooked at one
end, and big bag. II nail tho cop
perhead down by putting the stick
across his neck and then I drop him
into the bag, and there you are"
sWell,' said the old man, I'D hate
to issue an insurance policy on your
life"
The snake hunter laughed, and
after thanking Squire Hanyen for the
informatio walked on with his COM
panion. Toward noon it came on very
warm, and the hunters going to Muddy
bridge fell in with young man named
Lasher. OReilly's friend went on
about a mile to explore an open field,
while the snake expert stayed to make
some inquiries of Lasher.
II don't know how it is when you're
hunting for them" said that young
man; "but when you're looking for
other things there's more copperheads
than you want in this patch of woods
at our right. Thick boots have saved
me more than once in there. Hyou're
going in I'll stay here in the road and
watch for snakes crossing over. But
you want to be mighty careful where
you STEP
This advice was shouted after the
scientist, who had already plunged
into the thicke4. taking his long stick
with him. Progress was very slow.
The explorer was pretty tired when he
had forced his way through hundred
yards Of the thick tangle, and the sight
of little clearing where a big tree
had fallen was very welcome. 1t was
not quite clearing either, for near
the tree q thick netting OF fowery
creepers had sprung up, through which
only small patches of ground could be
seen. In one of these openings Mr..
OReilly saw what appeared to be .
good-sized copperhead. The snake had
seen him, too. and with its head raised
q few inches from the coil was watch
ing him with interest. One of the
peculiarities of a copperhead is that
You can never tell when it will run and
when it will stand and fight Evi-.
IDENTIFY this ones policy was to fight
1t struck the naturalist even then that
from what he could see of the coil there
was an extraordinary lot Of it. O'Reilly
pressed the thick growth Of creepers
over to either side and then shot his
stick in right above the reptiles nose.
The catlike eyes glittered as they
moved in following the motion Of the
stick, and the forked tongue shot out.
Ats yellow points trembling nervously
like the antennR of an insect Other
wise the snake never moved at all.
though the man could see it was all
ready to Strike. ORei!ly stood within
q yard of the reptile in position suf-
ficicntly dangerous to make him eau
lions. for the thicket in which he was
entangled grew SO exceedingly dense
that he could not move with cclerity
in any direction. Although the snakes
head was in the middle of the coil-a
very awkward position for catching
the hunter nevertheless brought down
the stick over Its neck, intending to
gently but firmly press it to the
ground. The thickness OF the coils
was greater than that of the neck. SO
the copperhead was able to shoot ont
its head beneath the stick fully six
inshes beyond the coil, as if coming
right toward the hunter. Quickly
taking advantage of this by jerk
O'Reilly transferred the stick to the
new and better position in which the
head was pow placed. The dexterous
transfer was not, however, quicker
than the snake, for il bit the stick in
its passage Nevertheless. the stick
lay now on the snAke's neck, and n
with his right hand and knee the
hunter held it there firmly, he quickly
yeached il with his left hand and took
his snakeship round the throat with
the top of his thumb beneath the NM
der Jaw sufficiently far down to escape
4he clasp Of the fangs. and yet not 20
7ow thAf thn snake could possibly tara