The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-03-06
SNAKES.
They Are Winter Tenatns of an Ola
Well.
From the Granite Monthly.


From the Granite Monthly.
Not far from my home is a field bor-
dering the highway. which contains
something quite entertaining to me. and
which may not be wholly without inter-
est TO the readers of The Granite Month
ly.
The field on the side opposite the road,
is Joined by a large meadow, from which
1t is separated by fringe of alders and
white birches. This meadow Is a favo-
rite haunt of the blttern, and In the
morning and evening hours his loud
booming cries awake the echoes. Here
among the wild meadow grass and sedge
the lovely begonia blooms in profuslon
through the summer months. and the red
winged blackbird scolds from the tops
of the alder thickets. On the other edge
of the field. near the road. Is a row Of
large sugar naples. throwing in sum
mer cool. delightful shade for the dusty
traveller and one giant elm, reaching
out his proud branches eighty feet or
more above the earth, and. seeming to
draw haughtily aloof from the more hum
bic trees at his side.
But IL Is not the naples and their
neighbor, the elm, that purpose 70 talk
about in this sketch, neither is II the
meadow, but a den Of snakes. Years
ago there was an old farmhouse with its
ago they were moved away, and the cell
lar was filled up with rocks and dirt.
Beneath the elm Is the old well; but
this, like the cellar, Is filled up with
rocks and covered over with dirt. This
well Is my snake den. Here they stay
through the winter. Black snakes strip
ed snakes, green snakes, wood snakes,
and adders: snakes, long, short, big and
little, live together among the rocks In
tho old well for nearly six months in the
They do not come out until the latter
part of April; for the heat cannot reach
home. After the ground has been thor
oughly warmed and the sun Is shining
bright, some warm day near the close of
April or the first of May, have seen three
black heads sticking out Of the ground
from one hole. Go near them, and all dis
appear.
time. First with his hose just In sight he
may lie all day, II not disturbed, not rising
above the level of the ground. Next day
he Is holder and stays for hours, rising
about six inches from the mouth OF the
hole, looking like dried stick from the
tree above MIN. ,Approach nearer ana
of sight. But you cannot keep him long
In the den after the warm days Of summer
have actually begun. He will sneak out
when you are not looking, and escape.
The adder does not come out in the man.
ner of the black snake He may lie for
day or two with his nose just visible, In
order TO get warmed up, but when he gets
ready TO come out he Goes so without any
recommending. nave never seen an adj
der's head raised abovs the ground when
he is ready to come out. In this den the
black snakes predominant, there probably
being half dozen OF these to one of any
other kind. Adders come next on the list,
and last, few striped, green and wood
snakes. These are smaller than their
nieghbors and quicker, darting back into
the hole very suddenly when you approach.
have seldom been able TO capture any OF
these, but nearly every spring get some
black ones and a few adders. The long
est snake captured from this den was
black one five feet four inches long. They
will probably average about four feet
l have never seen as many snakes here
since as there were the first spring 'he
den was discovered. Perhaps II Is be-
cause do not watch them as closely as
/ did then. but do not think as many
winter here now. / was quite young when
we found these snakes holes one day by
accident, and not having much elise to do
i watched the place very closely and
killed large number before they were
warm and nimble and stupid. Sometimes,
impatient at the slow motions of some
old fellow who did not seem inclined to
show more than a few inches of his head
and neck, / would creep as near as pos
slble, unobserved by keeping behind The
old elm, then, by making quick rush,
! would be able to seize him by the neck
before he could oack into the ground
Even then they would resist so firmly as
sometimes 10 allow themselves 10 be pull
ed In two pieces, rather than let go their
hold from the rocks below. have never
seen a snake lingering around here in
the fall, but they know some way to find
tho den, for since the first spring the
number has not seemed TO diminish, and
peared, and the surface OF the ground Is
warm and dry expect to see a black
head sticking out OF the old well under
the elm.