The Washington times., 1903-10-18

movement too quick for the eye to fol-
low, and the long fangs are sunk into
the stick, while the reptile. realizing
it's mistake at once, is already coiled
up and again in a fighting attitude.
Before il can strike, down comes the
pole. pinning the long. squirming body
to the ground and the hunter walks
boldly toward the helpless creature,
takes II up close behind the head, where
the poison fangs cannot reach him, and
puts his captive into a bag.
There are other methods of catching
the rattler-for instance. when the rep
tile is in its winter quarters and le
thargic and lazy. But the manner de-
scribed is the way the professional snake
catcher secures his specimens. And the
manner Of catching the rattlesnake is
practically the same as that used for all
the small and medium-sized land snakes,
poisonous or otherwise.
Catching snakes in a swamp and
catching them on land are vastly diff
ferent. however. a cottOn-mOuth moe
casin would quickly squirm out from
under stick intended 70 pin it fast in
the swamp mud Of its native home. In
fact. these deadly reptiles are among
the most difficult to secure. not because
d
ficulties of penetrating the almost i'm
passable swamps where. in the very
heart of the Doggy thicket. the finest
and best specimens hold court.
After a Moccasin.
1.-The moccasin snake hunter is pro-
vided with a long pole rugged with a
wire loop on the end, the same oper-
ated from the handle end of the contriv-
ance. Armed with this and his snake
bag the man enters the swamp. jumping
from bog to bog and from tree root to
tree root. in danger of finding his prog
ress cut off at any moment and in dan
ger Of losing his bearings and his way
out The air is heavy with fevers and
insects. and the sunlight is excluded by
the forest of tropical grass and trees
and swamp shrubbery. But the hunter
presses on until in the midst of his
grounds. when he begins to work.
Lying on a log. coiled and ready to
strike eyes riveted on the man, the
moccasin lies motionless. without a sign
OF life, awaiting stealthily the moment
to get in his fatal bite. The hunter adj
vances cautiously. extending the loop
end Of his snare. The viper never takes
it's eyes off the man. Unmindful OF the
approaching
tended victim until with a quick and ac-
curate movement the wire loop has been
slipped over the creatures head and
drawn taut, holding the surprised,
suuirming, fighting reptile until It is
grasped behind the head, like it's broth
er, the RATHER. and is slipped into a
snakebag'
Our informant told story of how he
caught a RATHER in the black swamps OF
| Georgia.
"a friend told me Of a famous old rat
! tier in a little settlement off somewhere
/ in no-man's land in North Carolina. and
I decided TO go down there and capture
| the old chap during a vacation. Upor
| arriving we found about every native fl
/ town acquainted with the trail, If not
| the personality Of the reptile; in fact
| they knew the snake so well they had
| had him named. old Dave they called
him. Mornings when the farmers drove
TO town and saw the trail in the dust
| in the road they'd say. We'll, Old Dave
| has been around again
Hunt for "Old Dave"
/ 81 went out hunting for Dave the first
| morning and sure enough, he must
have been a 'whOpper,' for his track
i measured easily four inches wide. And
there was no mistake that the track was
that Of the old RATHER. for the dust was
fine and / made out that the snake
had crawled I'm almost a perfectly
/ straight line. one Of the peculiarities
CT a rattlesnake trail, most snake:
| travelling in curves. ! waited that night
and till the moon was high but not q
| sigr. Of the snake was there.
Next night / hunted with the sam,
result. and likewise a third night. Blu
the fourth morning. the last could 'pu
in hunting Dave, 1 saw his tracks
across the road, and could tell ne hat
come out Of his woods into the meadow
/ grass TO hunt, and that, before long. il
\ all probability. he would go home. wait
/ ed an hour. and another. and still another
and was about to give up for wan
of time when the squeal OF a rabbit wa
heard ard the next instant one Of thes,
little fellows, frightened 20 death. dart
ed across the road, pursued by OLE
Dave. ! gave chase, and the race bc
came an affair between the RATHER an,
myself He was on the run, and, un
fortunately. never stopped to fight me
but headed for an old field stone wall
Il had native with a gun with me
and might have shot the snake a dozel
times had / wanted 10. But IL was
fair fight, and l lost, and Dave go