The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1896-08-27
YENOMOUS PESTS.
INSECTS AND REPTILES INFEsT THE
LONE STAR STATE.
A whole Family Killed by a Centpede tn at
Fell In Coffee Pot.-Fight Between a
Blacksnake and a Rattler--.Red Ants,
Screw WORMS; and Horned Frogs.

Screw WORMS, and Horned Frogs.
81 spent a number of years in Texas,
and while there learned much of inter-
est in regard to the poisonous reptiles
Rnd insects of that state" said on old
gentleman to a New York Sun reporter
few days ago.
''The tentipcde,' continued he,
(which is common to that state, Is ccr-
tainly the most dangerous insect to he
found in any country. While other OH
jectiohable insects of its class are off
attending TO their own affairs it is
crawling around your house trying to
get il; You are Just as liable to find it
in your bed OH retiring as aiiywhefe
else. 1t is small ltfowfi Insect from
an inch and a half to three inches long
and resembles what Is called Iii this
state thousandlegged worm. 1t is
provided with about twenty legs on
each side; every one of which is sur
charged with Il poisonous fluid. 1t is
said that 1t will crawl all over human
body and crawl off without doing a1y
harm if not disturbed, but the instant
there is the least agitation of the sur
face it will bury its feet in the flesh
and death will be the fesult: But there
Is not d mali living that could lie still
and let this venomous insect explore
his anatomy. The sting of tile cent?
pcde is very deadly The instant the
lancets of the feet enter the body the
flesh is killed clear to the bone and
turns perfectly black. Tie poisofi con
tanned in the centipede's body cafi be
conveyed to the human system in other
ways than through the insects feet.
Once two hunters were crossing the
Brazos river bottom when their atten-
ton was attracted by the Willing Of d
child. They followed the sound and
presently caIne upon little emigrants
camp: The only living creature to be
seen was ali infant scarcely two
months old. Lying about oil the
ground were the father. mother. and
three children, all dead The hunters
looked around for the cause OF death,
but no evidence of violence could be
found Presently they looked into the
centipede. The insect had crdwled
into the coffee pot during the night
and had been boiled with the coffee
next morning. Happily this insect Is
getting scarce in Texas, and it Is only
at rare intervals that any one Is stung
by one Of them.
Il had the good fortune once to see
an exciting combat between ii large
rattler and an immense blacksnake
The latter is a perfectly harmless rep
tile as regards the human race, but he
seems to have declared war on all his
species. He puts in Il large portion of
his time trying to kill all the other
snakes, which may justly be regarded
as commendablc virtue. The black
snake is Il deadly foe. and, game and
poisonous as the rattler is, the latter
doesn't want any business with him if
he can help it. With several others |
was out hunting one day, when l ran
upon big rattler out in little clear
ing. He was already coiled ready to
strike, and swaying his head to and fro
while he emitted that discordant hiss
| ing sound that makes your flesh creep.
| thought that | was the object of his
wrath. and quickly brought my gun
into position to shoot its head off. But
my attention was suddenly attracted
to IL long. black object, gliding from
the brush on the opposite side of the
clearing. | instantly took in the sit
uation and stopped to see the fun. The
blacksnake glided around the rattler,
keeping at safe distance, while the
latter was spending his strength strik-
ing at the empty air. They kept this
up for almost half an hour, when per-
ceived the rattler was growing weak.
The other snake saw it, too, and began
gradually to draw in the line of his cir
Gle around the rattler. Fainter and
fainter grew the strokes of the latter,
when, quick as n flash of lightning,
the blacksnake darted upon its enemy,
coiling its long snuous body around
it near the head. Then the struggle be-
gan in earnest, and over and over they
rolled upon the ground, the rattler
vainly trying to get into Il position to
Strlke ltS antagonist. III WIS Only II
question of little while when the con-
test was over, and the rattler lay limp
and almost lifeless in the coils of the
king snake. For some time the black
snake held the rattler to make sure of
his work, and. then giving it parting
squeeze. uncoilcd itself and gracefully
glided into the bushes.
Nearly everybody has heard of the
tarantula 1t is 4 very unobtrusive in
sect. keeping close to its nest, and is
disposed to conceal itself when a man
approaches. The tarantula is nothing
more than great big spider, whose
body is full of poison. l have seen
persons who have been bitten by one,
but prompt remedies were applied and
the effects of the poison neutralized be-
fore it mixed with the blood. 1t is
currently believed, however. that the
bite will prove fatal unless antidotes
are used in a reasonable time. and even
then 1t makes the victim so sick that he
thinks he is going to die.
ssrrho hfo rod n pf n very harmless in