The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-12-11
NOTABLE SNAKE STORIES.
NOTABLE BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT
BEYOND BELIEF.

tfffNhe Wv N''NA
Harmless snakes generally have two row,
OF teeth in the upper Jaw and one In the lower
these teeth being slender. sharp. compare
lively short. and not set In sockets, rs thes'
animals do not tear or mutilate their food
The teeth are simply used as hooks by which
the food is drawn into the snakes throat
The bones OF the Jaw being movably Joined
together. the teeth are advanced on ono side
securing a hold on the prey. and then on the
other side. In which way che swallowing ID
accomplished. Poisonous snakes have two
long. sharp fanRs which appear to be f~lattened
out like a knife blade and then bent up. form
ing a groove. In some cases forming a closed
tube. open. however. at both ends. the upper
end of which is fastened TO a bone in the
cheek which moves with ease. 30 that the
fangs when not In use can be folded OF
packed away. The saliva OF all animals. even
man, contains poison; though In man 1t IL
greatly diluted and Of use In assisting diRes-
ton. In the poisonous snakes it il collected
into sacs or glands placed on each eide OF the
upper jaw. A delicate canal extends from the
poison. gland forward under the eye to the
edge OF the jaw and there opens into the fang.
and to use the poison the snake has but to
strike the prey; as the fanRs enter the flesh
the muscles OF the Jaw press upon the poison
glands. squeeze the poison through the little
canal down through the hollow OF the poison
fang in the wound. There is q most inRen-
ious arrangement in the fang. The opening
is not at the very tip. whore IL would be liable
to get plugged up with skin and flesh. but IL 10
a little way up in front OF the groove. 30 that
the sharp point goes in first and makes q lit
tie hole into which the poison flows.
Snakes vary greatly In color. some being
VERY Z, beautiful inh,a aSSd IN many cases their coloIa-
ring among a luxuriant vegetation, while
gray snakes generally frequent rocky dis;
scales. formed from the epidermts and gem
orally overlapping each other. is shed during
f beins su% eoVered %9 NTH a T deifcs sys' aha have or no n liSs.
which we are more or less familiar. The
teal keel along the centre Of the scales, while
long bodies. and no keel on the scales.
known are the %rattlers., The northern rattle
geographical range: being found in nearly every
state Of the, Union from the Gulf OF Mexico to
Rocky Mountains, Its appearance is not
very. pleasing. it having a large. fiat head,
brilliant eyes. and between the eyes and
d das to the tall afe Which si is sh ter nSsn' the spP Tat-
tle,.and gives to the snake It's distinctive name.
ing in q rounded button. which rattle together
when the tail is vibrated. which vibrating or
alsrmed. i The sO enact w hse of this sh fstt sea * nd L
provided with this appendsEe because It lacks
The idea that a rattle is added evey year is
09s 1 SbserS SSt By 1r facts Ho,bI a specimen aea,S owned by
r~attles within a year. Mr.. Peaie. the natural.
list. kent a RATHER for fourteen years. When
be- obtained l it it had eleven ]rattles' and during
ones took their places. so that at the end OF
this time the snake still possessed eleven rat;
and peaceful when not provoked. and viii
submit to a great amount Of teasing before
snGwin Gb any s s iFff,o Of re retaliation, 4 friend Of
nearly an hour teasing a rattlesnake while 1t
was lying in a clump Of blackberry bushes, by
A %rattler scarcely ever goes out Of its way to
attack q human being. 1t can strike stretched
despite the prevalent idea to the CONTRARY. The
mathematics alleged powers of fascination-in
fact. the powers Of fascination Of any snake
are simply mythical. 1t Is only that the pres
ence OF the animal so inspires the Individual or
animal with horror that they become fairly
railway. tracks will become SO Mortified at the
sight OF the Incorporating locomotive or
unable to move out OF danger sr:" yet tatk mo e one
or oIft fascinpted By locomotive CT trolley ear. So
victims with fear that.they are unable to move
out OF their, way and are consequently at
not the dreadful creature it is often made out
to be-. but a. perfectly inoffensive. harmless
ANNA! when let alone.
on the shores of Lake Champlain these snakes |
are abundant. In Sullivan and Ulster coun-
sionai rattlesnake hunters. as the skin is very
valuable for making belts. ,p,ocketbooks. card
being believed. BY SON to possess great :reae c SmR:
tive, powers. Many OF these snakes are killed
during the summer months, but the grand
have returned for the winter to their dens,
The hunters well know these places Of retreat
daT fi IN 6sto 1Sf '9 Or h %%ofsn a bSslfht Wins f%nsh tRs
have come out Of their holes to bask
gethep IN nH" great eytnI numbers Hn tns r fSe b nnf ! Ito TO,
themselves with old fashioned fails and at
tack group after group of the reptiles. but |
There are seventeen species OF this snake in
the United States. The diamond RATHER lCr0-
cies. found south Of the ihIe'eCS ayyo i sou and n she tSe
same locality Is found the ground RATHER. The
f f%rsat %est y2Ties Static hSwe HJiEos seems nna K Ss occur WI. IN
leo containing several different species. While
~ California and Oregon is found the Croidius
tremely dangerous. but not necessarily fatal.
Most animals succumb to it, and man. II prop
there is, some one who has a remedy for
snake bite. but the most effective perhaps is
Whtskey. onions are also very good. as.
Prof. Frazer Of Edinburgh discovered that
VIZ ,oOiuhi VI tIt DlOOu Vi All animal WHOSE |
whole system was impregnated with snake
poison. or the blood serum Of the poisonous
reptile itself. Is an excellent remedy for snake
bite. He found out the minimum dose re-
luired to kill an animal. and. starting with an
amount much. smaller than this. gave the dose
TO the animal. increasing the dose at inter-
OF ten days. until he found that the ami
NAL was taking fifty times the minimum dose.
pr enough snake poison to kill fifty animals OF
It's own weight and size. without developing
any bad effects therefrom. He then in
Iected into a healthy animal some snake
poison. and as soon as 1t began to produce q
pad effect on the animal. he Immediately in
ected into the wound the blood serum OF the
poisoned animal. which serum Immediately
,ounteracted the bad effects OF the poison.
This certainly is a most valuable discovery.
Another snake perhaps more feared by some
han the RATHER is the copperhead tdncistro-
ION cogtOrh'irL known as the cottonmouth
n%occasin and red-eye in the South. Il ranges
rom the Catskills to the Gulf States, and west
snGth Of two feet. and inhabits grassy mea-
lows. also mountain regions. where It. preys
Upon small animals, rarely ATTACHING largo
)nes. unless stepped upon. Sometimes COWS
md horses. not seeing the oopperhead in the
ong grass. accidentally tread on 1t and are i'm
nediately bitten. The bite of the copperhead
s poisonous, but not necessarily fatal, when
Droper remedies are applied.
The water moccasin ,tAncistrodon ptscip-