The times., 1901-06-10
DRIVING OUT THE RATTLERs.
The Reptiles Being Rapidly Killed
on in Arizona.

| PHOENIX, Ariz.. June Sin a country
where quarter of a century ago rattle
snake was to be found under every rock
and in every hillock, the reptile is rapidly
becoming a rarity. With his human rela-
tive. the Apache, the rattler is disappear
ing from Arizona, and is now found only
| in the most isolated districts.
To the advance of civilization and the
unremitting warfare of the road runner
and the king snake may be attributed the
determination of the rattler. Wherever
/ irrigation has found its way, the rattle
snake has been driven to higher ground,
and there the prospector and miner have
slain him whenever and wherever found
The road runner, that Iong-Iegged, feath-
cred warrior, the fighting cock of the
desert, has done his part, and has done it
well.
Much resembling. but more lightly con-
structed than the fighting cock, the road
runner is one of the most DIR readed enemies
OF the rattler. In fact, so great are his
sAake-killing proclivities that heavy PEN
alties are provided by the Territorial stat
utes as protection to him from the
gun Of the hunter. Apparently immune
to the venom in the poison sac of the
rattler. the road runner attacks the larg
est snake with impunity, and was never
known to lose fight. Frequently, indeed,
the road runner has been known to bat.
tie with and kill pair of large diamond
rattlers. whose total weight was FIVE
times that of his own
Not so common an enemy to the rattle
snake, but no less deadly, is the king
snake, a large species of the bull snake
family. Rarely seen in the lower coun-
tries, but often found in the northern for
eStS and higher mountains, the king snake
wages constant warfare the RATHER
and when his great 1.-the form coils around
the body of the rattlesnake. the life of
the latter is matter of only a few see
onds.
Herbert Housland, a prospector, had an
experience with a rattler, king snake,
and a road runner a few days ago which
he will not soon forget. He was with
party in the Bradshaw Mountains, south
of rlscott, and was guarding camp for
the day. He had lain down to sleep when
he was suddenly aroused to find a great
rattleSnake coiled upon his breast
Il almost suffocated from fearing to
breathe lest l should be bitten he said.
THE snake was greatly excited, and in
a minute l saw the cause. a king snake
was trying to excite the rattler to com
bat, and my person was the chosen
battle-ground. The king snake had prob
ably forced the rattler to refuge upon my
body, and following UP his aggressive
the rattler very rapidly. He crossed my
breast from left to right and my thighs
from right TO left, and within less than a
foot of the rattler's body.
The velocity of the snake was most
wonderful. 1t seemed to be one continu-
Gus ring, and part of the time l could
seemingly see three or four rings at once.
/ made slight movement with my right
foot which attracted the rattler's atten-
tion for an instant, and that was fatal
to him. Ht that one false movement OF
his eyes the king snake darted in and
seized the rattler by the throat, close up
to his head, and began instantly to coil
around his victim.
They rolled off me in their death strug-
gle and became one tangled mass for ten
minutes. when the rattlers sounds died
away gradually While | lay exhausted
from my fright a road runner darted
out of a bush and, grabbing the two
snakes I'm his beak, began to drag them
away. The weight was too great. but he
killed the king snake by a blow from
his long bill and ran away as / arose.
threw the two reptiles into the bushes,
and there the bird and his mate de-
voured them"