The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-09
THE RATTLER'S VIRTUES.
oNE or THEM Is Az ABILITY TO
DEDELOP LATENT GENUS
uncIc Hirnm's Progress In tho Rattlesnnke
Country Proof of This Entertainment
pru,I drd for Nntiyes-Snnkrs R.rric.

"I have noticed a peculiar thing about rattle
,rakrs said Simon Kent of Clinton county,
pa aud that Is that II I'm trout fishing and
the trout arc biting good am always sure OF
,uunlng across all the rattlesnakes any rattle
snake hunter would care to find in n days
toragJng for them but If the trout are not bit
ing won't run across RATHER maybe all day
don't know why 1t is OF course. any moro
than know why 1t is thar there are always
rat,esnakcs where there are trout and buckle
berries. and that there is never malaria
Nhei, YOU find that combination OF rep
tl,o ilsh and fruit. Instead of locality's
heinz summed because rattlcsnakcs abound
there It should DO Just the place for people to
seek. because wherever rattcsnakes are found
there YOU will find henlthful region. | am
,rcaking now Of our own brilliant aud up-to-
enur rattlcsnakc. and not the lazy. overgrown,
vnd.ct,vc RATHER of Florida and Texas Wher-
ever you find an ovcrcheerful RATHER giving
forth his music and telling you to watch out.
there you will find the purest water. the fresh
est air the drycst. highest land. As long as
YOU I've IN a country where you have to kick
A rather of your doorstep every now and then
yuu needn't bc afraid Of chills and fever sneak
iugarrOeS your threshold
"t.iutou county used to be the finest region
for rattlcsnnkcs that any one could have found
In years search. can remember when the
higher arts Of the county wero so lively with
them that the sounding of their rattles as you
made your way through was like the whrring
on a summer day OF field full Of the big
ocu-t~ we call the Grasshopper was some
what ~ a Gathcrer OF rattlcrs in those days. as
their oil was. and is now, greatly in demand.
an one DAY. in going across meadow along
l,uugwomrn's Greek. | baggcd thirty mine
,',,,,. ,L, i,,,,, -, - :, -,
" M n In hnt
.n,ec skins had become commercially yolua-
rsIsntn wonII hovo hnnn ~ rov yio,i tor
that TRIP across the meadow. 1t used to be so.
il. I,dy ncighUorhood. particularly. that a
.a'H'' t'"h,'l n7 luch on lhe crop o. rat''ers
h'r.-ht gather while cutting his hay as no
,.,,II,, 'I"or,,asn in r,ttiosroI,as ~ t,a
.'"'"''"'' "oc'c"eo !" r"'''rS""Nts III 'le
" M "s past ten %nt the Dn%S
all i've "u 4rat
i 4H'y poIleNc 'i'"' al 'he preScrlptlohs lhat
l.,r icon put UP since Adam had his rib
ha9loL and every ointment that was mnde
,r.r Aaron had his beard oiled can't compare
wth ra't"7nake oil when eure-alI is wanted.
iar'.,cnrIy for rheumatism. So they view the
pt'-P'', ~ poss'"lo ra'"eshaNc-o' drought
viii no little alarm.
Sometimes | think that the decrease in
ra,''snahes up our way is due largely to the
E9ck Forest region north Of us but which
-, 49,, T., , vs. o.t 49,.
domain Of late years to forage. Those black
snakes nrc not ANYTHING to wonder Mt IL thev
are not ten feet long. l read in one OF our local
newspapers OF an old resident driving along
one of the mountain roads in thn unnnr mart of
'o - w.. ...i', 10. -, 10 Vi
the county, ace'hipahieu ny MS TWO uaughters.
suddenly the horse stopped and tried to turn
around in the road The old resident whipped
him IN, but he refused to go forward and began
to rear and plunge. Then one of the girls. look
IDua ham CAV "a hlnp n l.a vi in ba
roid. She aiighted and took the horse by the
head while her father jumped out. got club
aud started to kill the snake. The snake did
not wait to be killed. but came rapidly forward
to meet the man. with it's head raised two feet
valve, The old gentleman swung his clu b and
caught the snake "A blow on the neck that
power for harm, went, but the thrashing about
alter the as head ' was smashed. That choice
specimen, Of the Black Forest bIncksnake
These backsnakes entertain a deadly hos
tility to our rattIcsnakes and are constantly
reTtes str TIKI The trail Of rattSr i It follows
j, Ike q hound does a deer, and the doom of
aucker Gan ah a q.
horse is quicker than q canal mule. and the
consequence Is that much time does not elapse
is one less rattIer to give forth music to the
r troy fishermen and and the hHck picker
I'VE have an cntcrprising citizen in one OF
our bigger towns VINO has IA peculiar weakness
for rattlcsnake collecting. and he is n great ad-
mirrr Of that particular reptile. He used to
get lots Of fun, out of them. and does yet once
in a while il he can get hold OF q stranger in
town He keeps store and it Is Il favorite
diversion of his to lure people into the store
Osensiby to show them some pretty or curl
Gus new things he has put in stock and then
while the visitors are intent on examining
them. to turn loose in the room two or three
lively rattIcsnnke4, a collection OF which he
ALWAYS has on tap. SO to speak. In the scram-
bic aud connection that ensues this facetiOus
pf ratt on
ana he lies back and laughs. His delight is
always especially great il there are women
among the visitors when the snakes are intro
ducr'i. The screaming that ensues and the
agility with which Il woman ear reach the top
oih.s counter. prompted by the sight Of a rat
tcS'ake or two on the floor. he says are better
than Wild West show
This snake loving merchant will leave a
Customer at any time 1t he can find good
listener while he talks snake. The repugnancn
that the big majority OF human beings feel
toward the serpent family is something he
can't understand He is an enthusl astic trout