Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-08-20
YENONOUS PESTS.
INSECTS AND REPTILES INFEsT THE
LONE STAR STATE.

Fell In q Coffee Pot-..Fig ht Between q
BIacksnaks and Rattler--.Red Ants,
Screw Worms. and Horned Frogs.
II spent number Of years in Texas,
and while there learned much OF inter-
est In regard to the poisonous reptiles
and insects OF that state" said on old
gentleman to New York Sun reporter
a few days ago.
1.-The centipede," continued he,
(which is common to that state, Is GER
tainly the most dangerous insect to be
found in any country. While other OBJ
jectionable insects OF its class are Off
attending to their own affairs 1t Is
crawling around your house trying to
get in. You are just as liable to find 1t
in your bed on retiring as anywhere
else. 1t is a small brown insect from
an inch and half to three inches long
and resembles what Is called in this
state a acknowledged worm. 1t Is
provided with about twenty legs on
each side, every one of which Is sur
charged with poisonous fluid. 1t is
said that 1t will crawl all over human
body and crawl off without doing any
harm IL 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 result. But there
Is not a man living that could lie still
and let this venOmous insect explore
his anatomy. The sting Of the cent?
pede 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. The poison con-
tanned in the centipede's body can 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 wailing Of n
child. They followed the sound and
presently came upon little emigrant's
camp. The only living creature to be
seen was an infant scarcely two
months old. Lying about on 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
coffee pot and found the remains Of a
centipede. The insect had crawled
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
ut rare intervals that any one is stung
by one of them.
ssI ~, 90
an exciting combat between large
RATHER 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 a large portion of
his time trying to kill all the other
snakes, which may justly be regarded
as commendable virtue. The black
snake is n deadly foe, and, game and
poisonous as the RATHER is. the latter
doesn't want any business with him il
he can help it, With several others
was out hunting one day, when / ran
upon big RATHER out in a 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 n long, black object, gliding from
the brush on the opposite side of the
clearing. l 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 RATHER was growing weak.
The other snake saw it, too, and began
gradually to draw in the line Of his cir
Gle around the RATHER. 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 sinuous body around
it near the head. Then the struggle be-
gan in earnest, and over and over they
rolled upon the ground, the RATHER
vainly trying to get into position to
strike it's antagonist. 1t was only a
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 RATHER to make sure Of
his work, and, then giving it a parting
squeeze, uncoiled itself and gracefully
glided into the bushes
Nearly everybody has heard of the
tarantula. 1t is a 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 reasonable time, and even
then 1t makes the victim 80 sick that he
thinks he is going to die.
1.-THE big red ant, a very harmless in
sect in this latitude, Is a terrible pest
in Texas. They live in great armies,
and when they take up their residence
in n place 1t Is well nigh impossible
to dislodge them. The ant mound is a
familiar object in the sandy portion Of
Texas. Inch by inch the industrious
little ant burrows into the earth, bring
,psr ont tho coil Urain nv ORR In md d.