The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-04-02
QUEER SNAKES in TEXAS.
Fun Tint tho Yellow Razor and tho Hoop
snake IIavo Together.

Fun That tho Yellow Razor and tho Hoop
snake IIavo Together.
"Therc is species of whipsnake tn
tho Lone Star state, the male of which
is Jet black and the female pea green"
says u resident of Texas, according to
the New York Sun. ''They gre long,
slim reptiles, and they climb trees and
rob birds'nests with wonderful celebrity.
'The yellow racer of Texas is IN
other interesting snake. When he
crawls his movements nrc from side TO
sido, but when he races he undulates,
with his head several inches in the mir,
and he can get over the ground almost
as fast as u jack rabbit You will often
SEQ q yellow racer chasing rcdbclliod
hoopsnalsc, and vice versa. Sometimes
you will sec them racing side by side,
neither seeming to try to outspeed the
other, and both getting over tho ground
for the fun of the thing. The most
amusing snake race ever saw out there
was between O hoopsnake and racer.
There was big bulge In the hoop
snakes body, evidently caused by o
largo toad in his stomach, and he
wnbbled so that every little while he
would lose his balance and tumble side
ways The racer also had large lump
in his body, but 1t didn't bother him
much In travelling, and he stopped and
waited whenever the hoopsnalle tipped
over. The hoopsnake would look up
and start in again, nnd he and the racer
covered more than two miles In that
way, going ahead of the horse I was
riding.
while trying to net pigeons one sea-
son saw u yellow rncer crawling
toward the stool pigeon. For the mo-
mcnt l waS more concerned about n
hawk that had been circling overhead
for sornc time, and didn't pay much
attention to the snake. At length the
hawk divcd at the stool pigeon and
knocked the breath out OF it. Without
waiting for the hawk to snatch the
stool pigeon the racer wound himself
around the hawks nccl1 and breast.
Suddenly hoopsnakc rolled past NC
at top speed and brought Up near the
stool pigeon, us if he was; going to help
the racer strangle tho hawk The
hawk arose before the hoopsnakc got o
chance to tackle. 1t hadn't asccndcd
more than two hundred feet when the
rncer tied It's wings to it's body and the
hawk dropped like wnd of mud,
thirty feet or SO from tho stool pigeon.
The hoopsnalIc had been glaring Mt the
hawk as If he was disappointed, but the
instant it landed it rolled right ut it
and commenced to thulnp it on the
head with his horn. The hawk
screamed and struggled violently md
the racer frightened his coils around it's
wings and prevented it from rising. 1t
couldn't fight with It's claws, and the
hoopsnalSc continued to hammer II ON
the head and the racer to squeeze 1t. rs
II 1t had been q put-up job between
the snakes beforehand to tackle the
hawk in tlas way. The hoopsnnlse
pounded until he had battered its hcxd
all out of shape with his sharp horn.
In little while the hawk ceased to
stir, and the racer unwound himself,
and the hoopsnnlSc stopped hammer
ing. Both reptiles gazcd at the dc.ld
bird for moment, and then the hoop
snake hooked his tail into his lip and
the two went away together
The opossum snake of Texas
teigns death if you tap 1t on the back
with switch, and sometimes when
you make quick stroke ut it and don't
touch it The natives assert that o
badly scared opossum snake will re-
main quiescent until sunset, no matter
how early In the day You scare it. and
then it will glide off at great speed I
once frightened On opossun snake by
switching the ground near it. Tho
snake made believe it was Hfolces, and
hid in clunp Of bushes and watched
it 1t couldn't possibly have seen me,
and for an hour and forty minutes it
remained perfectly motionless. 1t
lacked two hours and twenty minutes
of shutdown, but l had concluded to
stay there and see whether tho snalso
would clear out lost the chance.
however, for within few minutes a
pair of turkey buzzartls Lit on the snake
together. 1t began to squirm and flop
and beat the grass, but It had waited a
little too long, for the buzzarls pulled
1T In two speedily, each sailing away
with writhing half
"At another time watched an opos-
sum snake for two hours, and was paid
for it, little after sunset by seeing a
monster owl pouncc upon 1t, tie in into
knots, and sail off with it."
Bed Napoleon Died Upon.
French traveller who has been VIC
1ting the island of ST. Helena doo,oro-