The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-04
HE CHATS ON SNAKES.
MAN FROM FLORIDA SEEMS TO
KNOW ALL ABOUT HIS SUBJECT.

Studied the ReptiIes-Furnished
Thousands of Them 10 the smith
sonian NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. and Pc
cuIiarIties of the Lowest order in
the Animal Kingdom-A Good
Snake story.
From the Chicago Inter Ocean.
A Iittle man with gray hair and shaggy
burnsides has been a familiar figure in the
lobby of the National Hotel for several
weeks. He is from Gainesville. Fla, and
his name is James Bell Some of mis-
friends, and he is far from being unknown
address him as Major, and he is entitled
TO both appellation, for he has been Judge
of mis- county and he was a major in the
| war.
Though a limb of the law, Judge Bell
holds the unique distinction of having
handled more live snakes than any other
man in any civilized country on the globe.
AT least. this compliment was paid kim
by no less distinguished naturalist than
the late Prof Baird Of the Smithsonian
Institute.
Il don't know just how many snakes
have handled" Judge Bell said to re-
porter yesterday, but I know they would
have to be counted in the tens of thous-
ands How did come TO get into the
snake business? Wei, I will tell you.
When I entered the army in 1881, was
rather siclIly; a good deal of an invalid.
1 don't look much like an invalid now, do
I? BY camping out and marching 1 be
came robust and strong. After the war
when l returned 70 a peaceful life, the
same old feeling came back. My doctor
advised me to go to a warm climate and
! get outdoors as much as possible. So
l got tent and went TO Florida, and Tor
| a number of years camped out a good
! deal.
Il began to collect things, such as birds
eggs and snakes, and l opened some Indian
mounds. Some way it got noised around
| the country and people from all over wrote
me for snakes. The Smithsonian lnstitu-
ton at that time was particularly interest
ed in getting snakes for physicians VINO
] were making scientific experiments. l sent
/ thousands TO that institution, and many
/ that / collected went to Toronto for the
Historical Society, while others were sent
! to Berlin, Paris and London. 1 might say
! that most of them went through the
| Smithsonian. l continued in the business
I until about five years ago, when began
! TO be known as the snake man.. L was
not ambitious for such a title, so L stop
| ped it.
Il was special agent for the land Office Of
| the government for twelve years, and this
/ gave me an opportunity of furthering my
/ knowledge of snakes and their ways. Yes
/ l have had some very interesting expert
! ences. But, do you know that while have
! handled thousands of rattlesnakes, never
| came across more than TWO In my wander
q if0U a Florida
/ know l usually buy them of the colored
/ people, some of whom have in days gone
! by made a living supplying me with
! snakes. have hunted for rattlers many
! times, but these two occasions were the
| only ones that l ever encountered any.
/ ''The first time was in 1876. The state
wanted me to represent it with fora and
/ fauna at the centennial. 1 was looking for
/ a certain kind Of wood. l had my hand
resting against big tree, while I was
| looking above into the branches, when
| heard a noise at my feet. L looked down
| on the ground and saw a big rather all
coiled up. / was afraid to move for fear it
/ would strike me. l was virtually standing
right over IT, 1t raised its head as l sup
| posed, TO get ready 10 strike, but instead
turned around and glided away. l made
/ a spring in the opposite direction, for l
was unnerved as l knew the venom of
rattler's bite. After l had gone on a short
distance. realized what a fool 1 was, and
1 went back and got the snake. With the
aid OF a forked stick, l caught it by the
back of the neck and carried 1t home in
my hands.
THE second instance I was going from
| Tampa to old Tampa bay and had to pass
through a piece of thick palmetto scrub. L
was following a COW path, and my guide
was just ahead of me. As l looked ahead
he was just stepping over a big rattler that
was coled up. l waited until he was past
the snake and then 1 yelled at him. He
| stopped and turned around and pointed to
the RATHER lie sprang back, and, catch
ing up a pine knot, slammed it on the
| snake before I could prevent him from do
ing it. OF courses he ruined the snake
! for my use.
"a peculiarly of snakes is that If you
| bruse one the skin will slough off and
then the ants will get at it and eat it alive.
| Any snake wounded in this way is bound
to die The snakes used 70 battle a great
deal II a healthy snake should come in
contact with a dead snake the odor would
be retained and the ants would attack the
healthy snake and eat it. l have seen
many cases. Where a snake thus died in
captivity with others the only way you
can preserve the rest is to put fresh earth
in the cage and Isolate the cage in wafer
so the ants can't get to it. And then you
may be defeated. The ants are persistent,
and their love for dead snake meat is par
| amount TO their other desires.
"A dozen years ago Mr. Shindler, the
celebrated artist of the Smithsonian, had
an exciting experience with a snake l sent
to the institution Mr.. Shindler is now en-
gagged in restoring the pictures in the Cat
lin collection that were injured in the
Smithsonian fire a few years ago. He Is
a painter of fishes snakes and animals.
and ranks among the best in the world.
l had got a snake which the people of
Florida call the calico, or thunder snake,
but the true scientific name of which Is
the elapse. The elapse is very brilliantly
colored and grows seldom more than eigh-
teen inches in length. Its rings are yellow,
black and red l had known ii to be a
very poisonous snake. In fact, few who
have been bitten have ever lived more
than six or eight hours. The bite is like
that of the Egyptian asp The victim soon
falls into a comatose condition, from which
It Is hard to rally him.
con this elapse the markings were some
what different, and 1 asked, in sending it
to the Smithsonian, that it be examined
carefully to determine whether it was real
ly an elapse or a new species Shindler,
who is a great admirer of snakes, or was
at that time, and had many pet harmless