The daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Ind. Ter. [Okla.]) 1898-1902, 1899-12-09
SUICIDES OF RATTLEsNAKEs.
Love Is One of the Causes, According
20 simon Kent, Who Relates
This Tale.

"Some people say that rattlesnake
won't commit suicide" said Simon
Kent, OF Clinton county. II say that
they are wrong. I've seen rattlers put
an end to themselves dozens of times,
but never when they were in captivity.
Why that is / am unable to say. II you
have rattlesnale Gagged up you may
put all sorts of indignities upon him,
and, while he will work himself into
rage, somehow he won't let his feeling
overcome him so far that he will turn
TO and bite and kill himself. 1t is en-
tirely different when he is met with on
his native barren and cornered. He
won't, as a general thing, put an end
to himself until he has exhausted all
means at hand in trying to get out of
the trouble he is in. Then sometimes
his rage seems to get beyond his control,
and he twists his head around and sets
his fangs in his body, right over his
heart, and in less time than you could
kill him with club he stretches out
still.
II have known a rattler to kill him
self from disappointment, and, strang
est of all, from appointment in love.
l witnessed an unmistakable case of it
one warm day in early spring. 1t was
just at mating time, and l went to
ledge of rocks where I always had great
luck in gathering big crop of rattlers.
Just before l reached the ledge / came
out into an open space in the woods,
and there, on big fiat rock, lay three
rattlesnakes. One was nicely coiled at
one edge of the rock, and the other two
were stretched out at full length. The
coied snake I saw at once was a fe-
male, and she was beauty and no mis-
take. She was as yellow as gold, and
her scales glistened like secured cop
per. The two snakes lying fiat on the
rock were males, and both of them fine
ones-one a shining black fellow and !
the other yellow. While I stood there
looking at the snakes the yellow chap
crept over toward the coiled snake by
short, choppy, kittenish squirms He
stopped within two feet Of her, coiled
himself and set his ratIles going in a
droning hum. Then he shot his head
out toward the female, the strike being
in play. Instantly the golden beauty
bristled up, She sounded her rattles
loud and strong, darted her head
toward the bold disturber of
her. repose and hissed, The fellows
feathers seemed TO drop a good many
points at this reception, and after few
more huns of his rattles and twist
1r two of his thin neck he uncoiled and
'etired to the spot on the rock that he
had occupied before and stretched out
again, with his head toward the female
md his blazing eyes fixed upon her.
"a few seconds passed, and then the
black raekler wiggled over toward the
,oiled sna%e, and went through exactly
he same maneuvcrs that the yellow
hap had. But the conduct of the fe- t
male was @tirely different. She sound J
d her rattlas with the same low, dron- /
ng hum that the black rattler brought :
rom his, and, instead Of striking out at
i'm with vigorous and vicious displeas- !.
ire, as she had at the yellow snake, she 6
arted her head and neck forward in
he playful way AMI almost met the lips
f the black rattler as he darted his a
cad toward her. +,
Well thought ], those two fellows n
re courting that yellow charmer, sure :,
S gunsl And il she isn't dead gone on o
ne black fellow then appearances are
way off, c,
"And that was the case exactly. After Il
le female and the black rattler had =,
irted perhaps two or three minutes
ley left the rock and went away to be- .
in housekeeping for the season. The So
GLOW male, seeing that he was thrown C
ear overheard, and no mistake about
wiggled around on the rock in an
mless and plainly disconsolate way
While, and then suddenly threw bis q
lad back and buried bis fangs in his v
cart. BY the time got 10 the rock be n
as deader than a last years cabbage Z
Y. Sun. !,