The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-04
THE SNAKES OF BOYHOOD.
Some Extinct ReptiIeans That Had
Marvellous Attributes.
From the Chicago Tribune.

From the Chicago Tribune.
The blue racer was an ophidian calcula-
ted to cause the hair of the small boy to
stand on end like the quilts of the fretful
porcupine. Nothing could exceed the
fiendish malignity of this snake, whose
powers of locomotion were Incredibly
swift and whose appetite for boy was for
ever on edge. And 1t was only by reliev-
ing himself of all impedamenta, such as
the bucket containing his small store Of
berries or his fishing tackle and can Of
bait, that a boy was able to avoid cap
ture. 1t was the current belief that when
the blue racer came up with his prey he
swiftly unfolded the unlucky wight in his
deadly coils, crushed the life out OF MIN
and then devoured him at his leisure. So
far as history goes and the mortuary re-
cords show, no boy was ever cut off in
the bloom of his youth by a blue racer, but
disasters of this kind were often avoided
by the remarkable fieetness of foot dis
played on such occasions.
His terror gave him supernatural
strength and added wings to his feet, and
the blue racer was inconunently left In
the shade The blue racer, according to
a cloud of youthful witnesses who have
testified thereto. was a snake ranging
from eleven to sixteen feet long, the aver
age length being about fifteen feet. It's
aspect was threatening In the extreme,
and Its eyes cleaned with a baleful and
hungry light. AS IL reared its ugly head
four or fve feet above the surface in
search Of the trembling youngsters his
underside was seen to be of a bright blue
color, and from this fact and his swift
movements he received his apt and dis
tinguishing name. Blue racers are as
scarce as hens teeth now.
But the most deadly, the most grewsome
and the most appalling snake known to
boyhood was the fearful hoop snake"
now happily extinct. This scourge of the
forest was the bette noire Of the urchln,
who was continually In mortal terror Of
eneountering 1t as no wandered through
the pleasant woods or angled in the wa.
ters OF his favorite stream. The hoop
snake toamed the darksome shades Of the
forest like an avenging Nemesis. and. like
the blue racer. was always on the look.
out for boys The hoop snake differed
uniquely from all other ophidia. When In
motion Il was the habit OF this snake to
insert the end OF its tail In It's mouth.
and, bending its body into a perfect cir
Gle, II would roll silently and with In
credible swiftness through the woods. The
tail terminated In horny spike, harder
than steel, in which was concealed a sting
OF the most venomous description, and woe
betide the object that came within strik-
ing distance OF this fearful weapon. The
virus In the tail was far more toxic than
the venom OF the rattlesnake or the tooth
OF the copperhead. and was synonymous
with instant death.
Fortunately no boy was ever stung by
one OF these snakes. His caution, his pru-
dence and proverblal good luck always en-
abled him 70 clreumvent the Vaccinations
OF the enemy, but Il required ceaseless Wig
ilance on his part. Indeed. but few boys
ever saw one OF these reptiles, although he
was well aware OF their existence. But at
fare intervals some youth favored with
exceptional eyoslght and a vivid magma
ton would get a glimpse OF o hoop snake
rolling rs way along a distant path.
Another curious snake that used TO inter-
est youthful students OF herpetoogy was
the glass snake" As far as its habits
were known, the glass snake seemed 70 ex-
lst for the sole purpose OF sffordlng fun
for the boys. who. when they encountered
one OF them, hit it across the back with
stick. whereupon his snakeship broke
into thousand pieces, more or less, ac-
cordinR 20 the mathematical proficiency
OF the boy, and HIS brittle anatomy dew
In ali directions. Yet this singular pro-
ccedings while Il interested the Youthful