The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-09-17
HARMLESS SNAKES.
Eattlesnake Pete's Appeal for tie Useful
Little Creatures.

Fne COuHt y, NhtIe he saw d FARMER XIII
Jeveral garter snakes. Pete had Just
finished placing 13 new snakes into the
Scase adjoining the den of rattlers. which
has long been the pride OF his heart.
'As soon as anyone commences talk
ing snake" said Pete, I'm right at
home. How many snakes have IN alb
Oh, about Is. Those in that side are all
poisonous, but these are not known to
be very bad
At this the snake fancier took from
bunch of reptiles a light brown snake
with dark spots on its body. Pete ex-
planned that it was spotted adder and
was one of a new lot that he had Just
received.
THE spotted adder can bite" said
Pete, but there is no poison. As he said
that he opened the snakes mouth with
his fingers and exposed dangerous
looking tongue, but there were no fangs
such as the rattlers and other poison
Gus snakes have.
+ The new snakes received the other day
were contributions from friends of
Pete's in Miami, |. r. The box in which
the snakes came was marked: IN
Apounds of snakes. So cents a pound"
lThere was no other writing on the box
"+herthan the address of Pete Gruber,"
which~is "Rattlesnalle Pete's' more
formal name. The box contained snakes
of the following species: Cotton
mouth snakes, copperheads, chicken
snakes. copper-bottom and mud snakes.
1t will be seen that most of these
snakes are very poisonous. The cotton
mouth snake is similar 20 the -attle-
snake in every way excepting the lack
of rattles. 1t is said that these snakes
are more poisonous than rattlerS, but
Pete. who has had considerable eNpe-
rience nursing snake bites, does not be-
lieve it.
The chicken snake is a black snake,
with red spots dotted here and there on
its body, and is quite pretty. As Pete
took one of them from the case and eX-
amined him thoroughly, he remarked
that he guessed there wasn't much poi-
son aboutit. The copper-bottom snakes
are similar to the snakes found in Flor
ida and other southern states. Pete
also handled them with great readiness,
but, in taking the cotton-moutii. cop
Perhead and mud snakes from the box,
ne used more caution.
While the reporter was talking to
Pete, a long box arrived by express
which was Immediately opened. Ii con-
tanned a large, bright-coiored snake
which is known as a coach whip. 1t
was seven feet long, and came from
Chadwick, Mo. The man of many snakes
took the reptile and threw it in with the
others and locked up the cage.
AS he locked the door ne pointed to a
four-foot snake which was curled up
in one corner of the cage. He was a cop
per-bottom from Florida. He had just
swallowed a field, or garter snake, meas
uring about three feet in length. An
other snake in the same cage had Just
been fed 16 small mice and one kitten I
--~ek old. In order to prove that the
snakes would eat anything, Pete opened
the den and placed an ordinary egg in
front of one of the largest reptiles. His
snaleship was not long in encirclin =
the egg, and when he swallowed il he
was seen to tighten the body as if to
break the shell.
The attention of Rattlesnalle Pete was
called 70 a statement which was pub
lished from Cleveland, which stated that
the army worm. which had been doing
much damage in the northern part Of
Ohio, had an enemy in the rattlesDake.
Pete stated that not only did the rat
| tlesnakes devour the army worm, but all
snakes were fond of them.
eff the farmers only Snew when they
were well off said Pete. their garden
| truck would be much better if they al
| lowed the small snakes about the gar
| den which are generally killed 20 live,
| that they might deyour the insects"
| Pete has known for fact where snakes
have gone through gardens ana picked
| bugs off the vegetables. Hence his APP
| peal for the harmless little creatures
In speaking of the nature of snakes
in general. Pete wound up the conversa-
ton by describing the attitude Of the
| black snake toward the rattlers. and in
fact all others, bvt particular the
| former Pete has a large number of
| black snakes and rattlers in the same
| cage. When one of the rattlers starts to
| devour a smaller snake or anything that
| the black snakes want, the latter twists
around the body of the RATHER and
squeezes so hard that ne cannot swallow
the object.
The result is that the RATHER invari-
ably cholles up whatever he has started
| TO eat and moves slowly away. They
never attempt to strike at black snake
Ratt.ers often strike at objects which
| they miss and happen to bury their
fangs in otls.r snakes. but in all his eN-
| perience Pete has never had one of these
cases which proved fatal.
However. he claims that suicide is a
common thing among rattlerS, as only
| the other day he had large rattlesnalle
| die from a wound self-inActed. 1t ap-
pears that about a week ago this big
snake turned slowly around when Pete
| was standing in front of the cage and
| struck at himself Its fangs were buried
| deep into his skin. and in the morning
he died.-Rochester Democrat and
| Chronicle.