West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1895-10-31
WAYS OF RATTLESNAKES.
COMMON ERRORS REGARDING
THEIR FIGRrlNG ABILITIES.
They Can't Bite, But Kill by u Blow
Don't Have 10 Coil BE.
fore striking.

said man who has studied them.
"And tho reason is the best that
could possibly be. A rattlosnake
can't bite. 1t isn't likely that any
creature that lives and is proyided
with teeth and jaws has less power
OF biting. The snakes jaws are
not hinged. They are attached to
eGcn other by an elastic cartilage.
Thus the snake has no leverage
whatever in closing one jaw against
the other, and If it attempted TO
lnflict injury by biting, it couldn't t
so much as pierce the skin. The
fangs OF n rattlcsuake are driven
into the flesh by stroke, not a
bito, as 1t Will show 10y the fact that
punctures are made only by the
ornament of tho upper jaw. The
lower jaw has nothing to do with
tho act, A man striking boat
hook into log is an exact repro.
seutation of the manner in which
the rattlesnake bites. So when
ever any one tells you about some
one else being bitten by u rattle
snake, bet him it isn't so. You II
win. It's an impossibiity for a
rattlesnake to bite.
"But, although the rattlesnake
cant bite, il you're fooling around
in u country where ho is spending
the summer, you want TO keep your
eye peeled. And there is one par
tlcular thing you don't want to for.
get. 1t is common aud wide .
spread fallacy that rattlesnake is
entirely harmless so long as he is
uncoilcd. ! believed that once,
and found ont by rafting per.
sonal experience that it wasn't so.
IL is true that when a rattlesnake
is stretched at full length, with the
muec!es extended to the utmost, he
could not strike an inch forward.
but from that position he can strik 0
backward his full length, and with
lightning-ike velocity. One day
! dropped "a big stone on the head
Of big rat,ler that lay in this
position, crushing the head, the
stone LAYING partly on the head.
After gazing for some time at the
quiverihg reptile, so suddenly taken
from life, stopped down to re-
move his ratties. | had no sooner
touched his tail than his mutilate9
head flew back. and almost graz
ing my check, struck the sleeve of
my coat just below the shoulder.
where both fangs were buried,
pulling out Of the jaw and remain
ing IN the sleeve as the snake fell
back to the ground. They had
not missed my cheek by more
than hairs breadth. with pre-
caution / have made that test Of
rattlesnake's capacity Of striking
in that way many times since then,
and the snake always struck. The
instinct is go strong in this reptile
that | have known rattler, two
hours after It's head was severed
from It's body, to strike back fierce.
ly with its bleeding stump the in
stant its tail was touched.
"Fhere is at least ono case on
record where this boIef that rat
tlesnake coulkn't strike until IL was
III coil resulted fatally. The man
was working in his garden, when
he discovered rattlesnake lying
with only its rattles and two or
three inches of its tail projecting
from uHder the bottom rail Of the
fence on the side next 20 him. The
'mau, being unable 30 give the snake
u blow that would Kill it while H.
Vas IN that position, thought he
would seize its rattles and pail IL
quickly out into sull WOW and Kill
IL With his hoe. lie cfept up and
seized the rattles. but bad no soon
or touched them thaa tho rattle
snake doubled back over tho rail
and sank its iangs in tho hand shat
held Us tall Tho man killed Che
snake aud hurricd to tho house.
whore be died in short time.
"Bat tie typical position Of The
rattlesnake when intent on deadly
assault is che coll This is not al.
ways q srmmctric4i spiral. but The
body is masaed in more or less
regular folds. the mussles aye con-
tracted, and tbo reptile ia literally
au animate sot spring From th.s
position che RATHER can spring from
one half ~ tF0-ihirIf Of hisIcneth
Before che sfrogo the mouth is
opened wide, fhe iangs falling down
from their sockets iu the upper law
and standing lrmly iu their posi-
ti0n. Tno head is fhrust for~sfd.
the haif coils bei1w BE- being
siraighfeuoi out 90 lanalhaa th
neck aud to give power to fhe
strike. There u no preliminary
motion. THE stab s msar e.fb
abrupt swlilur.s that 1eaes ne
of the victim There baf a
strike. The slake pas hans frf.
its coil aENu eith the same alft
ness that l threw ilf oat a.
thc hngs enter the geuom s 81
ieoted. ~ tho thing struck ai m
beyond thc rl'iefs rcanh. tIe
r. g.