The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-07

,hsir cages are sleeping-black snakes and
carter snakes. adders and water snakes,
,o;led and uncopscious. but wide-eyed as
ever in slumber. But their open eyes are
s,qbtless. for these lovers Of daylight go-to
he'd about shutdown. Not so. however, the
vipers. the mute-gliding. night-roving
snirits of death. the venomous crotalids.
she copperheads and rattlers. Alert and
awake, they are all on the watch, or hunt
ing for a dinner.
In a large. glass fronted cage. over
against where I sit, is a little pile of
brush and withered leaves with the last
sutumn's red and brownish hues still upon
them. on top of this brush pile is coiled a
curiously colored serpent of the deadly
cotalide family. like a lash of reddish
leather newly tanned. from head to tail.
The back is crossed by bands of darker
brown. which broaden as they extend
downward on the sides. Just along the
ground line is a row of spots yet dark
4 or than the bands, and regularly arranged,
so that opposite the extremity of every
hand there is a spot. and one besides in
each of the spaces between. Though the
hue may vary. this pattern is constant in
every snake of the kind. The head of the
reptile is broad and fat coming 10 an angle
at the muzzle. Its shape reminds one of a
barhless lancehead.
This snake is the cousin of the dreaded
West Indian Fer de Lance; the copperhead
or Fer de Lance Of the north. potent in
venom, quick to strike, and armed with
fangs slightly curved and of needleiike
Sharpness, so that they are far more apt to
pierce a vein than those of the other vip-
ers Were il not that the copperhead is
smaller than the rattlesnake, it would be
much more dangerous. for 1t is in many
n districts of the eastern states, and even
IN some spots within few miles of New
. York very commonly met with. while in
the same places the rattlesnake has long
since ceased to exist.
Il This leather-colored, brown-banded
snake, then, lying on that brush heap
"a In the cage before me, is more than usu-
elly interesting. Just beneath the pile of
brush the head and neck or another is
sticking out, watching with cat-like eyes
for a frog, Of which there are three in the
<cage He felt the movement in the twigs
when l threw in the frogs. One of them
Bumped pass the place Of his. concealment,
and at once the watchful snake shot out
bis head to see what it was that had
moved. OF the pair in the cage he is the
|tnae, smaller and lighter IN color than his
companion. Motionless he stays. and it
Is hard to distinguish him from the dried
lp leaves around him. In fact, his head
Pf yellowish brown might be mistaken
fasily for heart-shaped leaf, withered
hnd dead, were 1t not for his light, flesh
folored, doubled-pointed tongue, which
fyery second shoots out its thread-like
bps, tremblingly inquirine for sound
Eaves or SAVIOR in the surrounding atmos-
fhere.
The frog, in one Of his jumps, had rested
or moment on the bottom of the cage
lot far from where his nose now is. After
bit ne comes further out bending his
neck this way and that. examining the
agnooring objects with the vibratory
Ups Of his investigating tongue. At last
BE touches the spot where the frog had
nomentarily rested. He pauses there ana
t2amines the place with quick-dipping
ongue tips, which tell him in some mys-
erlous way that his prey is surely in the
lclnity Inch by inch he draws himself
ny OF the bushes. evidently bent on fur
fAer exploration. Were it daytime he
fould probably be soundly asleep; but
low at midnight, he is all alert Clear
ne is bent on hunting. His more red
AAAeANN 10 dAGO EllulllS QONu lIOlil
er con on the brush heap above him. She,
w ny scent or by that wonderful tongue,
tHo"s that frogs are near. She means
"A get her share. Slowly, ever so slowly,
ne deseends from the brush pile on the
.her SIDE from the male, and often paus-
y, makes her cautious way through the
Luered leaves that strew the cage
ooF' one of the frogs is there, but she
lshorant of its nearness. 1t is only three
ines from her nose, and yet she doesn't
II because it is motionless as a little
ohe sucking out of the leaf-carpeted
ouhd on the forest-clad hillside But
tle Irog sees well, and clearly fears. with
wholesome fear. the terrible enemy APP
odchlng. It's head, which till now has
sen erect with bulging eyes gazing over
surrounding leaves, is bent squat
On me bottom. 1t hardly seems TO
edlh' Tor Its instinct tells il that mo-
vi means death. Meantime the copper
au Slowly approaches. Her tongue tips
uch Its Shiny back, and at once she
uses certain that her prey is before
Al the touch of her tongue the frog
Aes fright, but yet it somehow fears to
mp II simply raises its head. The |
'eHlent Is seen by the hungry copper |
au she darts open-mouthed upon it be- |
II mas time to spring away, and holds |
now Kicking in her jaws. Meanwhile, |
III mate follows up the trail of the sec |
ana secures it in like manner. They |
Iot mold the frogs in their mouths !
uead' but swallow them living With |
Sc frogs their method is different Not |
ago | saw the same copperhead |
.Ae frog too large to hold, and wait |
&guuY for over twenty minutes till |
H. oU made made swallowing easier. I have |
IA Sie same snake attempt to catch and |
Il d struggling frog whose strength was
, r than its own. It's kicking was |
't tsorous that he could not hold 1t still; |
-"Hgs gave way and broke from his
1H SO mat the frog escaped, leaving |
4 ~ o.. odiled copperhead so hurt or
sneghed that he never looked at
a ms sam nor would he taste food for
8. weeks afterward, till new fangs had |
"A 81 last where the others were wrench
I'm The frog, which had escaped,
MA er' mad received its death wound,
&t "as found and swallowed by the re-
u When copperhead fails to take a
t 80 the first opportunity its escape
Ems 1t to jump again and again,
- tllng rapidity around the cage.
e VIZ i'll occasions the otherwise slow
snakes will sometimes show an
gn'ea activity, and pursue with vigor
T4.s prey, always securing IT in the
ms lively pursuit, however, is nor
bsh1aal method of copperheads. IT'S
ri ~ mat they only pursue the fleeing
# rr, nus at dusk of evening, or early
n