The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-05-28

snake hunters. There seems 10 De an ir-
resistible fascination about the sport and
many prefer 1t TO any other iorm OF
amuscmnt. IL Is In the marshes and
bayous that the cblored people hunt their
game, which Is caught by means OF long
poles with forked ends ana strlng SLID
nooses. Many are captured LOT inc sake
OF their oil, which is supposed 10 DO nne
remedy for rheumatism ana other all
ments to which the flesh OF the oarkey
IS heir. Again, live snakes are used In
the mysterious ceremonies Of 'Voo-doo.'
and the several uses to which they are
put and the tortures which they are OF
ten forced TO undergo are supposed TO
annihilate witches, remove Spells put
upon the darkles by malicious persons
and 10 insure the presence OF good luck.
When one OF the snake hunters IS bitten
he treats It as a light matter Locating
tho wound he whips out his JACK knife
enlarges It until the blood naWs' and
drains II with his lips. IL Is seldom one
Of them dies Of snake bite
There Is a great deal Of unnecessary
mystery exploited by the stories OF the
poisonous insects OF the extreme South,
such as the tarantula- Certainly, II the
blood of a victim is out Of order. taran-
tula's bite may be fatal, but q wasp
sting under the same circumstances might
be lust as dangerous. Persons bitten by
that insect. II otherwise IN health sell
dom die. A great many Of the southern
spiders are poisonous. but hardly more
so than those OF the North. Their viru-
lence Is greater in some years than in
others.
zone OF the most singular Of our South
ern SPIDERS IS found on the borders OF
the Everglades. He is large and yellow,
and builds a hammock-shaped web be-
tween two points on each side or path
or cleared space This airy fabric OF his
spinning is broad in the middle and
tapers at each end to hne point So
brilliant Is the coloring OF the yellow
spider that one would naturally think
IL would insure his destruction by the
birds and animals which prey upon in
sects When he runs upon the white
sands OF the Everglades his form IS
strongly outlined. and the dark leaves
over which he scampers afford him no
better protection from the Keen eyes OF
woodland foes. But he knows very well
now 10 conceal himself when danger
threatens
IF you come along without unusual
noise the little yellow spider VIII suffer
you 10 stop at a safe distance ana exam
Inc HIM as he sits sedately In the center
of his silky web But il you should make
both spider and wed disappear as If by
magic. However II you are patient and
willing 10 await developments, IN q Few
moments you will detect a slight. hay
blur IN the place where the spider and
web vanished. Next you Will become cog
infant OF a glancing ball OF yellow which
gradually dissoyes, and In ats place Is
tho spider swaying upon his trembling
web. Move toward him again, and the
strange disappearance IS REPEATED, for
Just as soon as his safety is emperile1
he sets the web in motion untu che Vi
bratiOns become too numerous Tor the
eye 10 follow, and he is lost 10 sight As
the vibrations become slower you notice
the blur, and then the yellow ball, which
is caused by the dancing wed, and which
continues before your eyes until the SILKY
hammock is nearly at rest.
What DO you think Of a crab which
trusts TO the birds TO feed him? Sounds
like a fairy tale. doesn't itY But II IS
fact. for all that. This son Of Cancer,
which IS large and quite blue I'm color,
lives among the heron rookeries in the
lower part of Florida. where he digs
house in the sand under drift logs or
large stones. II is not often that he ven
lures abroad by day, but at night ne
steals forth in search Of something 20 eat.
Something TO eat with him means the
bits Of fish left I'm the birds nests by the
young gaplings, or, If there is not enough
OF It TO apease his ravenOus appetite and
the mother Of a brood is absent. he will
help himself TO a nesting. But woe be-
tide that crab detected BY bird mother
I'm the act OF robbing her nest. Her
sharp bill soon beats through the ma
RAIDERS brittle shell and his hes6 is dis
tributed among those very gaDllngs ne
had fondly hoped 10 feast upon. When
the plume hunters make their annual
predatory incursions into the regions of
breeding herons and the parent birds are
driven from the nests the blue crao
comes forth in swarms and makes the
slaughter complete by devouring all the
young.
india has fishes which climb trees and
migrate from stream 10 stream~in dry
season. Florida can match her with
great snail which climbs trees and feasts
on the young birds. Ike his fellow rob
Der. the blue crab. The shell OF this
snail Is opaline. and almost as transDar-
ent as glass. It's shape is odd and hand
some This snail is edible and not UNI
like those found on the coast OF France
and which are so much IN demand I'm the
markets Of Paris. In some places they
are so abundant that a shake of n tree
will bring down bushel Of them. New
York Sun.