The weekly intelligencer., 1897-04-03
LIVES WITH SNAKES.


Hermit of the Everglades Shares His
Cabin with VenOmous Reptiles.
Part way on the trail leading to Billy's
island there is u rude cypress log cabin
wherein dwens one of the most unique
individuals in all the southern states.
He is a Georgia Cracker" of the ante
bellum type, and his object in life is to
snare as many reptiles as possible, all of
which are nurtured and cared for until
sold to some museum in the north. \
visit to the spot is apt to give even a
temperate man mild case of delirium
tremens. Upon asking permission to ex-
anime the stock in trade the man raised
the lid of a large box about two and
half by three feet in size, and within
we're seen about two bushels of large
and venomous reptiles that raised their
heads and sent their tongues flashing
back and forth.
Into this den CT monsters the man
thrust his hand, caught up one of the
largest and handled it with as much
nonchalance as a kitten would have fon-
died little bird. He explained that the
snake was water viper, and that it is
found in the swamps all over Georgia
and Florida.
ut is deadlier than a rattlesnake,r
said he, "for it's venom is an alkali poi
son and paralyzes the blood quicker
than any other reptile poison known"
AS a matter of fact, the reptile was
very large specimen of the cotton
mouthed moccasin, which is commonly
known all over the south as water
viper, and its poison is nearly If not
quite as fatal as the sting of the "cro-
talus adamanteus."
"In this box" said he, "are 35 snakes
in all, including rattlesnakes, cotton
mouthed moccasins, copperheads, high
land moccasins, black snakes, adders,
chicken snakes, bull snakes, racers,
turtleheads, gopher snakes and milk
snakes"
He opened another box filled with the
same kind of reptiles and took up sew
eral in one hand while they wriggled
vigorously. From another box he took
a rattlesnake four feet long and placed
thecreature's 8 head Immediately against
his cheek, while with one hand he toyed
with the rattles and stroked the tail. y
blind adder about two feet long which
was shedding it's skin was next eX-
hibited, but the man explained that "it
would see all right again in few
days"
1 asked, from curiosity, if there was
such a thing as the horned snake or the
hoop snake in the swamp. His answer
quite surprised me.
"No. there is no such thing as hoop
spake," he replied, but there is snake
with stinger on its tail. and that
strikes over with its tail instead OF lts
head. and / suppose that is where ig'
norant people have got the idea that
there Ia. snake that rolls like hoop
The jointed snake is simply lizard
which hos no feet. Two thirds of this
| lizard is tail. and the tail is so loosely
jointed that when you strike the lizard
the tail drops off and falls into two oil
three pieces A new tail will grow out
but the pieces will not come together
| again. as the jointed snake is supposed
| to do"
When asked if whisky was good an
tidote for serpent venom he replied:
Sweet milk is superior to whisky II
any case of snake bite. Whisky IL
| small doses is beneficial, but in large
quantities it depresses the hearts &c
ton, the same effect that the snake bite
has"-Amsrican Field.