Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-04-03

as the naturalist laid hold Of the tan OF
this terrible ''spreadin adder Il gave one
despairing flicker and apparently yielded
up the ghost
Its trsficking with Old Nick. but I've
got TO bring that snake back TO life: 1 need
him In my laboratory remarked the
hurter.
"Fo' Gawd sake. doan' yo' do f. boss p.
pleaded the negroes who had gathered
around. The naturalist made a few pa sses
over the snake and warned the negroes 10
move back SO the birthstone wouldn't
strike them. The snake. seeing tn. COAST
clear, turned tail and ran. The darkies
screamed and in the confusion there was
the scratch of sulphur match on the
hunters trousers and uncanny piece Of
phosphorus burned on the ground Tbe
spreadin adder was afterward CAPTURED
alive The field arkies laid OF "a ria tbat
afternoon and went to consult voodoo
doctor rattlesnake is fairly easy 70
capture, because he Is consumnlatelv brave
never runs from an enemy. and his warning
rattle Is unfnistskabie. Skirt the borders
OF palmetto thicket any day and watch
the wavering shadows of the foliace on Inc
ground. Presently these shadows N Won
watch Sharply seem to dart ahead in n
straight line, with brassy whirr coming
a. somewhere around, The darling line
is dlamond-backed RATHER whose curiously
marked skin is in exact imitation az the
palmetto shade. The diamond hack IS The
most deadly of his tribe. In the west the
varieties OF rattlers there found inhahit
prairies e''''S u
Just now the rattlesnake is hunted NOR
cuessly, Tor he is valuable to the medical
man for his toxines and to the naturalist
because out of the eleven varieties in tbo
United states the habits and looks OF not
more than five are well known
After Effects OF Rites.
In spite of their deadly poison, the hunt
ing of venomous snakes is not auy more
dangerous, IL as dangerous than the hunt
ing of boars or tigers or lions In India
The reason is that no snake. except the
coral snake. is likely to attack without
provocatien. The danger to students of
SNAKES Is all in the familiarity bred OF
close acquaintance.
For example. less than wear ago Prof
Percy Selouse OF Michigan. a Welt known
naturalist, and q cousin Of the African eN-
ptorer ana scientist of the same name was
Killed by the bite of a pet moccasin Prof
SelouSe was I'm the habit OF taking She
snake 10 bed with him on cold nights to
Keep 1t warm. One night he got w in
the dark to put the snake back in it's box
ana accidentally piuched the mecca sins
tail in the door. Ii turned on him and
sunk its fangs into his flesh aud he died
four days afterward from the bite
MI: Ditmars relates that he one time
knocked q glass jar out of his office window
and broke 1.-THE same jar IN which a rat
tlesnake had been kept. In gathering up
the broken pieces he cut his hand slightly
For weeks afterward his life Was despaired
OF His hand and arm from finger tin TO
shoulder is today mass of terrible scars
New York naturalist bitten by a coral
snake in Florida last year died within
forty-iVe minutes
An attendant at the Smithsonian Institu-
ton, Washington, ten years ago la trans
ferring a rattlesnake from one lar TO an
other, was bitten on the fOrefnger Al
though every known remedy was appIied
he barely escaped death. For eight wears
afterward on the return of the season the
finger sloughed off to the bone Two wears
ago mysterious East Indian remea,, vas
brought to him from Rangoon India by A
friend. At the first soreness in the finger
he applied the Indian herbs and has twice
escaped the annual plague.