The San Francisco call., 1898-11-09
SNAKE YARNS FROM ARIZONA.


 The mining camp of Kingman was re- gently invaded by host of rattlesnakes, creating great consternation among the people. Snakes were discovered in beds and made desperate fights when tackled by the owners. People sleeping outdoors narrowly missed a violent death from the poisonous fangS of the serpents. The snakes wiggled through the crevices of the tight board fences, and were caught while endeaVoring to enter the houses. People have taken to sleeping upstairs and a band stand and pavilion are crowd ed every night by sleepers who dare not risk sleeping on the bare ground. A spell of unusually warm weather is thought to be the cause of the snakes leaving their rocky fastnesses for cooler abode in the settlement.
 A man at Mesa City has pet Gila mon- ster. He let it go about six weeks ago in order that 1t might shed its skin, as is it's annual custom. The other day it returned to it's usual hauntS looking thoroughly re- juvenated. Its owner gave it a bath aft CT which it made break for it's feed box, where it has been in the habit of eating eggs and other luxurieS.
 Toads grow to an abnormal size in Southern Arizona, and often exhibit a preternatural intelligence. Recently the arc lights were started at Mesa City, and myriads of bugs are in consequence at tracted at night by the glare. The toads have discovered this new source of sup ply, and eat the bugs that fall to the ground as rapidly as they come within reach. It is supposed that the new diet has created an unnatural thirst, and in looking around for source from which to quench it they discovered the troughs that receive the drippings from the beer faucets in the saloons. They now intrude in the saloons and line up to the troughs and drink until they are thor oughly intoxicated, many falling to the floor as though dead, while others un- steadily hop to the sidewalk and resume their feasting.
 James Thomas. a raneher living on the Verde River, in Yavapai County, has dis covered a scheme that threatens to revo- lutionize existing irrigation methods. other day he observed an enormous bul- snake stretched at length, with it's head in the water and it's body pulsating like a steam pump. Observing the reptile still more closely, he was amazed to see a stream of water flowing from it's tail.
 It was actually pumping water That bullsnake is a harmless creature, and MT. Thomas, seized with an idea, also seized larger stream of water was the question, and after considerable thought he tried the experiment of cutting off a portion of induced to throw a full head of water at minimum exertion, and seemed to enjoy the joke MT. Thomas captured many other bullsnakes, which, by asso- citation with the original bumper. soon became adopts in the new system for ir- rigating. Then their tails were removed, and for days the side of the ranch next in throwing up streams of water from an inch to an inch and a half in diameter. A mining man came along few days ago and was struck with the novelty of the that the snakes might be used in hy- draulic mining, and a number of them were coupled together like garden nose the experiment. however was not entirely through unevenness of pressure.-Denver Republican.