Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1895-11-21
MISCELLANEOUS.
Ways OF Rattlesnakes.

:" Nobody was ever bitten by a rat
tlesnake and nobody ever will be-
said a man that has studied them. -
"And the reason is the best that
could possibly be. A rattlesnake
can't bite. It isn't likely that any
creature that lives and is provided
with teeth and jaws has less power
of biting. The snakes jaws are not
hinged. They are attached to each
other by an elastic cartilage. Thus
the snake has no leverage whatever
In closing one jaw against the other
and If it attempted to inflict injury
by biting, 1t couldn't so much as
pierce the skin. The fangs Of a rat
tlesnake are driven into the flesh by
q stroke, not bite, as it will show
by the fact that punctures are made
only by the ornament of the upper
Jaw. The lower jaw has nothing to
do with the act. A man striking a
boat hook into log is an exact rep
resentation of the manner in which
the rattlesnake bites. So whenever
anyone tells you about some one else
being bitten by a rattlesnake, bet
him 1t isn't so. You'll win. It's an
impossibitity for rattlesnake to
bite.
But, although the rattlesnake can't
bite, if you're fooling around in a
country where he is spending the
sum mer, you want to keep your eve
peeled. And there In one particular
thing you don't want to forget. 1t
Is common and widespread fallacy
that q rattlesnake is entirely harmless
40 long as he Is uncoiled. / believed
that once, and found out by rattling
personal experience that it wasn't
so. 1t Is true that when q rattle
snake is stretched at full length, with
the muscles extended to the utmost
he could not strike an inch forward,
but from that position he can strike
backward his full length, and with
lightning-like velocity. One day 1
dropped big stone on the head of a
big rattler that lay in this position,
crushing the head. the stone laying
partly on the head. After gazing
for some time at the quivering rep
tile, 80 suddenly taken from life, I
stopped down to remove his rattles.
had no sooner touched his tail than
his mutilated head few back and al
most grazing my cheek, struck the
sleeve of my coat just below the
shoulder, where both fangs were bu-
ried pulling out of the jaw and re-
manning ip the sleeve as the snake
fell back to the ground. They had
not missed my cheek by more than
a hairs breadth. With precaution I
have made that test of the rattle
snakes capacity of striking in that
way many times since then, and the
snake always struck. The instinct
is so strong in this reptile that have
known a rattler, two hours after its
head was severed from its body, to
strike back fiercely with its bleeding
stump the instant the tail was
touched.
There is at least one case on record
where this belief that a rattlesnake
couldn't strike until It was in coil re-
suited fatally. The man was work
ing In his garden, when he discov-
cred rattlesnake lying with only
its rattles and two or three inches of
its tail projecting from under the
bottom rail Of the fence on the side
next to him. The man, being una
BILE to give the snake a blow that
would kill 1t while it was In that DO.
sition, thought he would seize it's rat.
ties and pull 1t quickly out into full
view and kill 1t with his hoe. He
crept up and seized the rattles, but
had no sooner touched them than
the rattlesnake doubled back over
the rail and sank its fangs In the hand
that held its tail. The man killed
the snake and hurried to the house,
where he died In short time.
But the typical position Of the rat.
tie snake when intent on deadly as.
sault Is the coil. This is not always
a symmetrical spiral, but the body
is massed In more or less regular
folds, the muscles are contracted
and the reptile is literally an ami
mate set spring. From this position
the rattler can spring from one-hal
to two-thirds of his length. Befor,
the stroke the mouth Is opened wide
the fangs falling down from thei
sockets in the upper jaw and stand
Ing firmly In their position, TIL,
head Ii thrust forward, the half.coil
below 1t being Strengthened out t