The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1901-09-28
.RA TIL ESN Ak e GOING.
FAMOUS AMERICAN REPTILE
WILL SOON HAVE PASSED.
He 10 disappearing FROM the Arfzona
Frontier--some of the Enemies OF the
tt1er"--P Prospectors Experience in
Three-Cornered Fight.

In a country where a quarter Of a:
century ago a rattlesnake was to be
found under every rock and in every
hillock, the reptile is rapidly becoming
rarity. With his human relative,
the Apache, the RATHER is disappearing
from Arizona and is now found only.
in the most isolated districts. To the
advance of civilization and the unre-
mitting warfare Of the road runner
and the king snake may be attributed
the determination Of the rattler.
Wherever irrigation has found its way
the rattlesnake has been driven to
higher ground and there the prospect
or and miner have slain him whenever
and wherever found. The road run
ner, that long legged, feathered war
rior, the fighting cock of the desert,
has done his part and done it well.
Much resembling but more lightly. con-
structed than: the fighting cock, the
road runner is one Of the most dreaded
enemies of the rattler. In fact, SO
great are, his snake killing proclivities
that heavy penalties are provided by
the territorial statutes as a 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 largest snake with
impunity and was never known to lose
a fight. Frequently, indeed, the road
runner has been known to battle with
and kill pair of large diamond rat
tiers, whose total weight was five
times that of his own. Not so com
mon an enemy to the rattlesnake, but
no less deadly, is the king snake, a
large species of the bull snake family.
Rarely seen in the lower countries, but
often found in the northern forests
and higher mountains, the king snake
wages constant warfare on the rattler
and when his great 1.-THE form coils
around the body of the rattlesnake the
life Of the latter is a matter of only
few Z: seconds. Herbert Housland, a.
prospector, had an experience with a
rattler, king snake and a road run
ner a few days ago which he will not
soon forget He was with party in
the Bradshaw mountains, south Of
Prescott, 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 I should be bit
ten" he said. 'The snake was greatly
excited and in a. minute saw the
cause. A king snake was trying to
excite the rattler oto combat, and my
person was the chosen battle-ground
The king, snake had probably forced
the rattler to refuge upon my body,
and following UP his aggressive tactics
was running in circle around 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 It seemed to be one con-
tinuous ring, and part of the time I
could seemingly see three of four rings
at once. I made a slight movement
with right foot; which attracted the
idllleI ':aIleuLlOn LOf an instant, ana
that was fatal to him. At that one
false. movement of his eyes the king
snake darted in and seized the rattleH
by the throat, close up to- his. head and
began instantly to coil around his vic
tim. They rolled off me in their death
struggle and became one tangled. mass
for ten minutes when the. .rattler's
sounds died away gradually. While I
lay exhausted from my fright a road
runner darted out ofsa bush, and grab
bing the two snakes in his beak, be-
gan to drag them away. Theweight was.
too great, but he killed the king snake
by blow from his long bill and ran
away as I arose. Il threw the two rep
tiles into the bushes, and there the: