The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1895-10-13
THE RATTLESNAKE.
COMMON ERRORS REGARDING IT'S
FIGHTING ABILITIES.

To Attack Anything.
Nobody was ever bitten by rattle
snake, and nobody ever will be-, said
man who has studied them. "And the
reason is the best that could possibly be-
a rattlesnake can't bite. 1t isn't likely
That any creature that lives and is pro-
vlded with teeth and jaws has less pow
er OF biting. The snakes jaws arc not
hinged. They are attached to each other
Dy an elastic cartilage. Thus the snake
has no leverage whatever in closing one
Jaw against the other, and if it attempt
I'd to infiict injury by biting it couldn't
60 much as pierce the skin. The fangs
OF rattlesnal1o are driven into the
neSh by stroke, not Il bite, as is we'll
Shown by tho fact that punctures are
made only by tho armament of the up
per jaw. The lower jaw has nothing to
do with the act. A man striking boat
hook into log is an exact representa-
ton Of the manner i'll which the rattle
snake bites. So whenever any one tells
you about somo ono else being bitten by
rattlesnalie bet him it isn't So You'll
win. 1t is an impossibility for u ratio
snake to bite
(
bite, If You re fooling around III coun-
try VIII Gro no is spending the summer
You want to keep your eye peeled And
there is one particular thing you don't
want to forget. 1t is common and
widespread fallacy that rattlesnake is
entirely harmless so long as no is un-
coiled. l believed that once and found
out by startling personal experience
that it wasn't SO. 1t is true that when
rattlesnake is stretched ut full length,
with the muscles extended to tho utmost.
he could not strike an inch forward,
but from that position no can strike
backward his full length and with
hghtningliko velocity. Ono day drop
ped big stone OIL tho head of q big
RATHER that lay i'll this position, crush
ing the head, tho stone lying partly on
tho head After gazing for some time
ut tho quivcring reptile so suddenly
taken from life, stopped down to re-
movo his rattles. L had no sooner
touched his tail than his mutilated head
flew back, and almost grazing my
check struck the sleeve of my coat lust
below the shoulder, where both fangs
were buried, pulling out of the jaw and
remaining i'll tho sleeve as the snake
fell back to the ground. They had not
missed my check by more than hairs
breadth. With precaution have lnado
that test / rattlesnalSo's capacity of
striking that way many times since
then, and the snake always struck Tho
instinct is so strong in this reptile that
havo known RATHER two hours after
its head was severed from its BODY to
strike back tlercely with its bleeding
stump the instant its tail was touched.
But the typical position of tho rat
tlesnake when intent Oh deadly assault
is tho coil. This is not always a SYM
metrlcal spiral, but the body is massod
Ill moro or less regular folds, the mus
Giles are contracted, and the reptile is
literally an animate set spring. From
tins position tho RATHER can spring from
onc-lalf to two-thirds of his length.
Before the stroke the mouth is opened
wide, tho fangs falling down from their
sockets i'll the upper jaw and standing
firmly III their position. Tho head is
THRUST forward, the half coils below it
hefsg Strengthened out to lengthon the
neck and to give power to tho strike
There Is no preliminary motion. The
stRo rs made with abrupt swiftness that
deiies escape of the victim. There is but
ono strike. Tho snake passes back into
It's coil again with tho same swftness
that it threw itself out. AS the fungs
enter the flesh the venom is injected If
the thing struck at is beyond tho rat
tiers reach, the snake has the power of
squirting its venom in Jets, which it
can do TO n distance of four feet or more.
p,ft
fangs i'll tho flesh of the object it strikes.
but that does only temporary damage
to ITS deadly arnory. There arc plenty
of incipient fangs lying i'll the jaw, only
waiting for IL chance like that to come
forward and be i'll limo for business.
They grow very fast, and in the course
of two or three days rattlesnake that
has lost its fangs is refitted with
brand new pair. This is good thing
to remember, for it is the popular be-
lief that RATHER is made harmless by
extracting its venom fangs The only
way to render ono of these reptiles
harmless, besides killing it, is to apply
redhot iron to the cavities left by tho
fangs. This will destroy all the vitality
of these dangerous parts. and new fangs
Will not come in.
1.-The rattlesnake never pursues his
prey; he waits He will not go ont of
his way to attack anything. He will in
variably keep OH his course if not cor
nered Or teased. You may step within
four inches of rattlesnako and will
not he disturbed by it if you keep right
on your way. If you stop, the snake at
once will take it for a challenge and
hit you only too quick. 1t is said, as if
hy nnthOrifr thnf 4l,1, L..