The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-29

Proctor, Naturalist, Tells What He
Has Seen and Noted ia Certain
branches of Animal Life.
From the New York Times.
Beast. bird. fish or fowl?"
There is an ancient and eminenty do
nestle game in which an interlocutor
standing ia a group OF players puts the
above question. Then. bouncing sudden
~ upon some unwary mortal, he calls
one of the four words and expects 10 have
an animal OF thar class named in the
short space Of time required 10 count ten.
There is a Brooklyn man who would be
an adept at that game. Lawyer Thomas
Proctor knows all sort Of queer animals
Of kinds that scarcely any one else ever
heard of, and many queer things about
animals that they have known all their
lives.
In fact, II there Is anything to be learn
ed about animals that no one else has
discovered. something that has never
found Its way into the most erudite books.
that is the one thing Mr.. Proctor is de-
termined to know. and he is not content
ed until he has learned it, even if he has
to raise the animals IN his back-door yard
to make the discovery.
He has had off and on any number Of
toads of all ages and sizes. He has tor
toises of like degrees, and If he hasn't
snakes it is probably because the femin-
inc portion of the household have the
aversion to such animals which has been
innate in all women since the time, long
ago. when Mother Eve had such an un-
fortunate meeting with the serpent and
with such unwise generosity shared the
fruits Of his bad advice with the proprle-
tor of the first garden
This is merely a surmise, but at any
rate. Mr.. Proctor does not raise snakes,
although he has taken some observations
of them in their native places. He was
talking about snakes the other day.
Have you ever seen the small green
snakes up on the bushes eating blueber-
RESP" asked an acquaintance. They lie
across the top of them, and are so nearly
the color of the leaves that you cannot
detect them unless you look closely. They
lie there and eat berries as long as there
are any left"
mo, have never seen that" said Mr..
Proctor, but l have seen those green
snakes on sumac bushes in Maryland. l
have seen them hanging to the bushes and
looking so exactly like tendrils that if
l didn't know sumac bushes never had
tendrils, ! should have thought the snakes
were a part of them. They grow much
larger in Maryland than they do around
here.
zone thing that I have never found in
all my rambles is a rattlesnake, and l
have looked for them too. The greatest
number of rattlesnakes that I ever saw
We're in a dime museum IN New York.
1t was very Interesting sight and worth
seeing. There was great case of them,
and the boy belonging to the place went
in among them and handled them appar-
emily without the slightest fear.
There was one thing chat was very
amusing. They had two pine saplings
for the animals to climb upon, and as the
snakes had just shed their skins, when
/ was there, they had hung them on these
trees, and it looked for all the world az
If the family washing had just been com
pleted, and the clothes were hung out to
dry.
"A little adventure l had with a snake
at one time was interesting l was watch
ing a bird as il hoped around on the
ground. 1t was just in front Of a hole,
and acted to me as If It had just come
from it, so I thought it had a nest there.
Il was bound to see anyway; so 1 put
in my hand and drew it out-a black
snake. Just think of it! And 1 expected
to find little callow bird.
mo, black snakes are not poisonous
They have no poison sacks. They can bite
and they will attack you If cornered. They
will chase you sometimes, but that is only
in mating time. The constricture of the
blacksnake is sometimes dangerous.
There is one thing about snakes that
have had disputes about. and that is then
swallowing their young to protect them
from danger.
4 have been told that that was simply
an impossibility from the construction oil
the snake, but have seen 1t. l have seer
the old snake open its mouth and the young
snakes go into it, and then have taken the
snake and switched the little ones Out
again. So they may tell me the snake is
solid if they want to. i don't care. l have
seen the swallowing done, and know"
1 was sitting by the door leading out
into the garden which is the home Of
Mr.. Proctor's various pets, and flowers OF
many kinds wild and cultivated, with the
sweet fragrance of the white nicotians
floating into the house, that Mr.. Proctor
answered a question regarding snakes in
New York state for a reporter for the New
York Times, and related numerous Httlt
! anecdotes of things which come to the
notice Of a student of natural history.
There are lots of them all over the
state" said Mr.. Proctor regarding the
snakes. Just as likely as not, there are
| snakes in the stone wall opposite the vii
lage store in many small places. People
don't see them, because they don't see
anything.
Yes rattlesnakes and copperheads, too
both of them very poisonous. One reason
they are not seen more frequently is be.
cause people are not out in their haunts
during the time of the year when they
are around That &c in the SDring whpr
they come out and lie on the rocks to sur
themselves. That is probably the reason
have never seen a rattlesnake. l am out
in August. Midsummer is the most inter.
esting time to be in the woods and fields
There are not so many flowers, and every
thing is quiet
There is no doubt that there are plenty