The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-08-07
HUNTING SNAKES BY A
NOW THESE REPTILES FOLLOW ONE
ANOTHER AMOUR.

4 nhNb luSJ ulNCONtTtu u TlO lNCb duOuJ
snakes.' said O'Ieilly. the snake expert, when
no met TnE Bun reporter the other day. lie
led the way into u dimlnutlvo room Uttered
with canvas bags. pronged sticks and other
paraphernalia of the snake hunters art. Dump
ing two sleepy blacksnakes from u chair to the
floor. the authority on snakes invited the re-
porter to be seated.
81 went up to Alpine the other day" he be-
gan, "for u days snake hunting. Two men
from the city who have been much interested
in my various discoveries In regard to snakes
accompanied me. We picked out the little
hamlet on the Palisades opposite Yonkers for
our destination, for the reason that there are
more kinds OF snakes to be found In TINT neigh
borhood than anywhere else within n radius OF
a hundred miles of New York. Each Of us car
ried n big stick and a stout linen bag.
After climbing the steep and winding road
up the face of the cliff we took our way south
ward along the highway leading to Fort Lee.
Now. for three or four miles this road is wild
and wooded on both sides. and this part OF 1t Is
n famous place for copperhcads; and, as black
snakes are found there. too. we had every eX-
| pectation OF q successful hunt. In order to
sean the roadway ahead and SEQ any snakes
crossing over it l carried n good opera glass.
For the first mile southwark from Alpine we
never saw a sign OF u snake. but after leaving
the last house and passing for some distance
along the road through the woods one of my
| friends stopped before q bush by the roadside
and called out:
look herel Here's the cast skin of a snake.
The ownerof it can't be far of, for IL is fresh
I'VE disengaged it from the bush and found
it to be fully five feet and a half in length.
TOO long saidI for a garter snake or cop
perhead. Let us examine the scales The first
glance at these showed that they were smooth;
therefore 1t could not have been the skin Of
copperhead. garter snake. water snake. or rat
tlesnake, for these all have the scales with q
little ridge or keel in tho middle. 1t might
have been a milksnake's. but l counted the
rows OF scales. and this skin had not twenty-one
rows. as the milksnake has, but only seven
teen. the number of the blacksnake. Here,
then. was u sure sign that q large blacksnake
was in the vi~cinity-aud he was not far Off
either. for the skin was still damp with the
moisture Of fresh shedding. 1t was less than
an hour. probably not half an hour old. With
renewed diligence | now amined the road
away ahead of US with the glass. and stopped
every few PAGES to look back along that part Of
it We had passed over. In hopes Of seeing him
crossing 1t. My two companions kept their eyes
on the lookout for tracks in the dust.
I'VE hadn't gone fifty yards when we came
to q long, sinuous trail. crossing the road from
one side to the other. From its breadth and
wavy appearance l judged it to be the track Of
a blacksnake. probably of the very one whose
cast skin We had just picked UP. On cSamin-
ing the trail, L found that the snake had passed
from the eastern side-the side where the skin
had been cast-to the western side. l could
tell this by noticing how tho pressure Of his
forward had slightly banked up
the dust TO the eastward ut every curve.
Now at this place there was a bend in the
road. and at the bend there were some rocks
and thick undcrbrush. Let us conceal our
selves among these rocks, said l. and keep
very quiet. while we watch through the leaves,
and we shall probably see him Soon
Posted right in the turn. we could look
quite a distance along the road in either direc-
tion. In the woods round about us there was
very little underbrush. SO that we could fairly
well notice anything that moved over the
brown leaves. Waiting there and watching out
through the leafy branches. We detected every
fallen leaf moved by the wind. Every 1iowor or
branch that stirred instantly caught our eyes.
and still we never perceived the snake we were
looking for until no glided right out on TO the
road about twenty yards above us, where his
intensely black color showed in the very strong
est contrast to the white dust OF the roadway
whereon he lay. so that We were actually CON-
As nimbly as we could, we jumped out from
our concralnlent and ran swiftly to catch him.
if possible. while still on the road. But ho was AZ
watchful and as quick as We were. As we broke
brown leaves beneath the trees. with the three
OF US Logging il after him as fast us We could
20. But ne had between twenty and thirty
yards start of US at the beginning, and, in spite
OF our squirting, he reached Il clump of bushes
growing around the foot q "a tree about fifty
yards in from the road. Here he completely
Placing one OF my companions at each side
of the bushes to see him II he bolted out. | my
self went in and began to search for him. l
t ira I.e6 u thSS Fly whole aed place sfrsS oyer s GHf could o1Hid see
find any hole, wherein he might have hidden.
We were finally about going away in despair
| nG finding him whAn wa DneAmA HWnTH for the
first time that a red squirrel was scoldipg and
chattering angrily in the tree above our heads.
At once II occurred to me that the snake
might be in the tree; SC, we all three began
looking up am9ng the BRANCHES in hopes
almost, certain that he was not in the
tree. for there vas only one Dc
f Eet from Toslf the T sro&nd f a9G q toae sR%Y SIa q to SsSe q
got up on this branch without some OF ls see
ing him, At last We satisfied ourselves that he
for good when one OF my companions observed
t that POSSIBLY so bly, tth &c r shs b.I WY ttahte squirrel Tnrra
This remark set US to work to hunt for the
most branch that touched the bushtops grew
out from the tree there was a hole in the trunk,
a 9Perha lpsGf the enough 9est IS to ths 3 sqg safs |, s sS 1 e dfeE
myself up BY the branch 70 look into thf hole.
snsf SO P by Gitins Soi at l uy Tfi face that Mi I %i n1sts1H1
ly lot 20 the ,bough, and dropped to the
ground, and before ! had time To look at him
again he was gliding out on tho branchand
looking downward, AS If contemplating II drop
into the bushes below. Understanding his in
tention from his looks. l quickly ran beneath
to catch him. whereupon he gathered himself
into position to fight me.
This WAS just what | wanted, grabbed for
him, quickly. catching him by the middle with
my hand, while he caught me by the wrist with
t his, mouth, He struggled furiously to escape
and twisted himself round my arm, and bit mo
two or three times more before l could get him
by the neck. Then one Of my companions held
a bag open and | slipped, him In, The wounds
made by his tiny teeth hled freely. but as they
: were only skin deep, and Innocent OF venom, /
took no, further notice in the excitement OF the
events that followed very soon after.
"Whan we went hnrlE Ia tho nluoa amouu tha