The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1901-04-05
GRANDPA
Writes Again to His Children.

NC ShilSu VIZ CllCI dSulu, NC uCdGIl VI
Mr.. Cadle threw cloud OF sadness over
all the other members that their i,vi-
ality left them, and their occasional
meetings, though always pleasant.
were not such as they had been. Bat
/ promised the editor to write for YOU
again and | do so now
Are you afraid OF snakes? hope not,
for snakes is my first subject
Many years ago | read discussion
In Philadelphia weekly paper on the
question:
Do snakes hiss. Some writers firmed
that they did and eome that they did
not. The argument was X 'pt up for
long time, and l believe the arguers
left the question just as they found it.
Those who affirmed, still affirmed, and
those who denied, still denied Ia, h
writes had his own opinion still And
this, as you will find out some day, is
the result OF a great many arguments
You may knock a man down with q
solid argument and he will be Of the
same opinion still. I read what each
writer said and | knew all the time
whether snakcs hiss or not. AS mat
ter OF fact some snakes hiss and some
do not. AS far as my acquaintance
with the creatures 20 there Is only one
tribe OF the reptiles that has the power
to hiss, and the members of that tribe
can hiss as we'll and loudly as an in
furiatcd goose, and that is doing pretty
we'll. | have heard their hisses often.
The spreading fiat head adder Is the
one that hisses and he can do it we'll.
IN my boyhOod when | lived on Tasty
Creek | became well acquainted with
most wild creatures Of that region, and
| have heard the spread adder hiss
many times. The bite of the spread
head is said to be poisonous like tha,
Of the highland moccasin and the rat
tlesnake. | have looked into the
mouths Of some that | killed, and I
think | found the poison fang. The
snakes whose bite is vencmnus have a
tooth which lies fat in the Jaw when
the mouth is closed, and at the root OF
that tooth bag Of poison Is spcrctcd
and stored away for use, then when III /.
mouth is opened to bite an enemy, the
poison tooth is thrown up and presents
sharp, keen point which easil, penc-
tratcs the skin Of All ordinary animal
rs OF human being The poison tooth
is hollow with its lower cud resting
upon the bag of poison, and by the
pressure when the snake bites the
poison is thrown through the hollow
tooth into the wound made by the sharp
point. Tho greater number Of the
snakes that we see are entirely harm
less. You may catch them and handle
them and they will show no DISPOSE
tion to bite you, and If they try they
cannot hurt you any m re than go"sp
can, nor as much tell you there is n"
fun in being bitten by goose. She
cannot poison bu, she can hurt.
Some snakes shed their skins in the
spring OF the year. suppose all de-,
but this do not know. When used
to wander through tho woods and up
and down Tasty Creek fishing, | came
across many snake skins newly shed.
1t is said that the ok skin co.c,s the
eyes aud makes them blind for a time
until they shed it off. Whether this
Is so or not really do not know, but
think 1t probable. Walking down the
creek one day where l had gone fish
Ing, | came across water moccasin
entirely blind, and every noise he
heard he thought was an enemy and
would strike his head at II in The effor,
to bite it. He appeared to be totally
blind, but whether through age or
whether the skin had grown over his
eyes so as to blind him, do not know.
l was mere boy at the time, but
think now that his blindness was
caused by the old skin.
Some snakes are called chicken
snakts, and they we'll deserve the
name, for they are fond Of chickens and
no mistake. Many ysara ago Jour
grandma and myself lived in the pin,
woods at Mount EnOn. In fact we had
not been long settled in life. One day
at dinner she said to me, "pa, | think
there is snake or s,mething else after
our chickens under the bush out yon.
der where the hen has just hatched
some young Ones"
Very we'll, I said. III go out and see
about It. Soon after finished my din.
ner went out to investigate and under
the cluster Of bushes where the hen
had her nest found large chicken
snake, one of the largest have ever
seen. He was huge follow, almost
large enough to swallow the hen as
well as the chickens. Welt, l killed
him. I had to; but my rule, through
life, has been never to kill harmless
creature, never to kill a snake even.
unless he Is poisonous or Is a nuisance
otherwise. Often I come across little
yellow snakes in the garden, ten,
twelve, or perhaps as much as eigh-
teen inches in length, harmless crea.
lures, play with them and tease them
III n nd 1nt