Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-04-03
DANGER IN SNAKE HUNTING
DEMAND FOR POISONOUS REPTILES
Is INCREASING RAPIDLY.
Good-sixed Rattlesnake is Easily
Worth Twenty Characterization
which Seek Good Specimens.
From the Brooklyn Eagle


| Snakes are increasing rapidly In value.
few years ago a diamond-backed rattle
i snake would not have brought ; cents from
| any dealer in reptiles. Today a good sized
| rattlesnake is worth $40 at least. Twenty
| five dollars would be paid by public zoo
| logical garden or by physician interested
| in snake toxines.
| Hundreds of physicians in the United
| States today make a speciality OF studying
the poisons secreted by the four venomous
! snakes of this country. They compare the
| effects of these poisons upon the human
| system with the effects of the toxines pro-
| duced by the bacilli of various diseases.
| In this manner they hope to discover not
only an antidete for snake bite. but an an
ti-toxine for swamp fevers and dozens of
| other Ills that flesh is heir to.
| This demand for American snakes has
| produced corresponding activity in the bus
| mess of snake hunting. The Smithsonian
Institution at Washington is continually on
| the alert for rare specimens. The Bronx
Zoo recently sent snake stalking eNpedi-
| ton to South Carolina under the lead of
| X. l.. Ditmars. MIR. Ditmars will soon
| start south on second snake hunting
| trip DR.. Weir Mitchell, the author and
| scientist, is one of the best known students
| of snake toxines. 1t is said that he some
| times has as many 1000 snakes in his
| laboratory.
| For various reasons poisonous snakes are
| much less common in the country than
| they were at one time. Still there are
enough to make things interesting in many
| localities. In western Texas rancherS'
| families living in sod huts look under the
| bed daily for prairie rattlers and only sleep
secure under mosquito net canopy. The
poisonous snakes of the United States are
| the RATHER, copperhead. moccaSin and coral
| snake The first three belong all to the
same famiIy-the cratalidae-and their pois-
ons, so far as known, are similar. The
| coral or harlequin snake is found only in
the SOUTH and it's venom very much re-
| sepbleS that of the deadly East Indian
| cobra. He is brightly banded, small, harm
| less looking, but very vicious. No certain
| remedy is known for the bite of any of
| these snakes. Whisky and strychnine
/ given in doses large enough often to pro-
| duce commissions are usually most effect
| i've. Very much depends upon the consti-
| tuition of the person bitten, and upon the
portion of the body that the snakes fangs
strike. In general nine-tenths of the per-
| sons bitten by these snakes die. All this
| goes to prove, of course, that snake hunt
! ing is real sport, inasmuch as the hunted
! sometimes gets back at the hunter.
| A Snakes Paradise
For those who enjoy snake stalking"
| said r. L. Ditmars of the Bronx Zoo II
can recommend certain PARTS of South Car
| DINA above any other section of the United
! States. For example, a four-mile swamp
near the little town of Robertsvi1e. in
| Hampton county, is snakes paradise.
There be the snakes of the south and the
| snakes of the north, every creeping thing
| Is as the sands of the sea for numbers.
| Portions of the swamp are overgrown with
| huge rushes and portions with cane brake
| dovetailing into pine swamps, the trees
| running up fifty feet to the first limb and
hung thick with sage green moss. Under
| foot is a bog alternating with Shiny pools
| and treacherous mOrasses."
Snake hunting is as fascinating as deer
stalking-especially to a who finds
some meaning in every band on a pet
| viper's back. No moose was ever more
| ready to take alarm than are these Slip
| perry quarries, and land a bag fun of
| valuable snakes is task that calls for
| adroitness mingled with high quality OF
perseverance,
Night is the very hest time for catching
| snakes, for 1t Is then that the serpent
| tribes uncoil themselves and glide kissing
| about the swamp in perfect freedom. OBJ
| viously this sort Of thing is not without
| danger and after one trial Of it the snake
| hunter usually prefers daylight. In the
MOONLIGHT haze floats above the swamp
| and it lays like a siivery sea. Within it
| the pines are ghosts whose long boards
| sweep the pools, diamond-backed rattlers
| rear their ugly heads, racers, moccasins
and strange pink water snakes glide noise
| lessy. and alligators keep up their loud.
/ uncanny believing. The air is heavy with
| the musky odor of serpents.
/ In daylight the hunter rides in mounted
| heavy brown duck, high top boots and
| stout. flexible gloves. His weapons are a
| bamboo stick, with a running moose Of fine
copper wire at the end, and a second cane
| furnished with wire net. He always
| carries a revolver, too, IL he is wise
! Across the mules neck Is balanced a
| short cane stick and from each end of the
/ stick bangles a good sized cotton bag.
| These bags are for the snakes, and If a
score OF the squfrmng things are turned
| loose in each bag before the hunt is over
it is all the same to the mule. Like
| Achilles, the mule has one vulnerable
point, in his heel, bit snakes are nearly
4 always too busy to go nosing about a
mules heels, The mule sagaciously picks
| his way through the swamp along deer
| paths, which wind in and out where n
single misstep ofttimcs would tumble him
| and his rider into POOL swarming with
| alligators and twenty-five sorts of water
| snakes
Method of Taking.
! A snake stalker, OF course, only attempts
| to take the more valuable and strange
| specimens of serpents. When he catches
the CLEAN of the right sort Of coat
through the PUSHES. spies a fine mecca
sin dangling from limb over his head he
halts and goes into action with his copper
wire moose and bamboo stick. II he can
he slips the moose over his snakeships neck
and draws it taut. Then he gets the Duff
ing, thrashng. splitting reptile twixt thumb
IoieHiiSeT the neck ana drops
him into the cotton bag. He gives the bag
quick swirl SO that the fang that darts
forth instantly is embedded in thick fold
of cloth. Invariably in a crisis hunter
throws away copper wires and seizes a
snake with his hands. grasping him we'll
toward the head. so that he cannot twist
1t around and thrust his fang into the
hands.
1t is not uncommon for a snake stalker
to bag dozen moccasns around a single
pool. few weeks ago Mr.. Ditmars. In
company with his assistant, Mr. Snyder.
and a guide, was trekking In the swamp
near Robertsville. The guide had only con-
scented to lead the party on the snake hunt
in consideration of double pay and enor-
nous potations of free whisky
In the middle afternoon they were pro-
ceeding slowly, single file. when Ditmars
loitered a moment in search Of possible
catches
go ahead; I'll overtake you" he called
to the others. He began prodding the bog
with his bamboo stick and found il alive
with moccasins. Some he captured with
the wire moose. One eluded him and slipped
into the water. Ditmars followed the
snake down to his boot tops in the Shiny
pool and dragged the moccasin forth. After
two hours the hunter found himself ex-