The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1895-04-17
TEXAS HOOPSNAKES.
THEY HAVE HOOKS AND HOLES IN
THEIR LIPS AND LIKE FUN.
with n Fine Sense OF Humor They Play
Jokes ON Tenderfeet and women-Go-
piers and Bulisnases Create Lively Stu
ations For the Hoopers.

'Tho hoopsnal1e of Texas is as inter.
where, said former resident of the
Lone Star State. "It is unlike any hoop.
snake l ever sew in tho east and good
deal livolier. Under its lower jaw there
is a lip, with holo in it, and on the
end of its tail there is hornlike hook
that curves upward. Whenever the
snake takes notion to roll, it throws
its tail over its snout, hooks into tho
lip, and goes spinning away over tho
grass rs merrily as you please.
''Tho snake can get over the ground
pretty fast by crawling, but it seems to
take great pleasure in rolling The un-
der part of its body is bright red, aud
you can see tho snake quito distance
when it's rolling. Some say the horn is
hollow and capable of ejocting poison,
but don't know how truo that Is. Peo-
pie who arc ignorant of how the Texas
hoopsnake is built are simply amazed
when they happen TO SEQ one change
from a crawl to roll. They can't make
out how it is possible for the snake to
put its ends together and roll away at
such speed unless it sticks its tail into
its mouth You will often run across q
hoopsnake that is crawling along lei
surely, when all at once it will throw
its tail forward and go tipping off at u
speed, you imagine, that makes its head
swim. But its head is always level, no
matter how fast it rolls or how far.
1--WE seen many man and boy
amusingly taken in by hoopsnakes out
there. Every newcomer desires to possess
specimen, and they get it into their
heads that 1t is as easy rs lying to catch
one. The tenderfoot thinks he can cap
ture hoopsnake by polSing a pole or
stick through the circle made by its
body. He gets fooled, however, for the
cunning snake instantly unhooks its tail,
thus Kidding itself of the stick or pole,
runs along ON its belly for short dis
tance and then hooks into the lip again
and resumes its frolio with perfect free
dom. Tho hoopsnalo has fine sense Of
humor, I reckon, for it takes delight in
soaring women and tenderfeet by roll
ing right up to them and dodging away
when they scream or jump. They tell
story out there of % man who ran the
handle of rake through hoopsnake's
circle and unlocked it. The snake got
mad, struck Mt the man and hit tho
trunk of mesquite bush with its horn.
1t sped away then, and the man found
the print of its horn In the bark. He ex-
amined the bush often, and he took his
oath that it died in less than 90 days.
II once saw hoopsnake hanging to
one of the hind feet of gopher. The
gopher kicked and squealed and pulled,
and the snake kept tapping it on the
head and back with its horn. The snake
couldn't have swallowed the gopher,
and it tormented the little thing out Of
pure deviltry. Its aim with tho hook
was unerring, and 1t acted as il it was
tiokled all over every time the gopher
squealed. The hoopsnake's fun came to
an end very suddenly the moment an
other gopher appeared. The second
gopher took in the situation at glance,
and it Immediately hoped upon the
snake and hit 1t in tho back Of tho neck.
The snake let 60 of the foot mighty
quick, and all the lively writings i'm
aginable that snake performed in the
next eight or ten minutes. 1t thrashed
the grass fiat in q space five feet in di-
ameter, and / never saw creature hate
to die as that snake did. 1t finally
stretched out motionless, and cut off
its horn, which had no hollow in it.
The wounded gopher was squealipg in
some brush, and its resouer was trying
hard to coax it into hole. but 1t had
been done for by the snake, and 1t died
In o little while.
"How it does make toad's eyes hang
out when hoopsnake gets after It'll
Tha toad Luoxve that itta N Uouar and a.