River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1905-08-31
REPTILES HARMLESS.
MAN WHO CATCHES THEM DOES
NOT TEAR THEM.
Uses Simple Apparatus for Captur-
ing Poisonous Snakes-Some
Particulars of His
Business.

There is one man in Boston who mas
no fear of women. invading his line OF
trade. and UP to the present time he IS
the only man, as far as is known IN
this state, who is professional snahe
catcher This man, reports the Boston
Globe. is o. w. Mason, who does not
think his living is in any way strange
for he considers snakes far less harm
less than dogs or any other pets.
A Globe reporter accompanied MT.
Mason on a snake hunt to the Blue
hills the other day and was shown con-
clusively that there need De no rear
of anybody getting killed from the Dlte
of snake in this vicinity MI MASON
donned leather gloves, leather CATERS
and unfolded his snake-catchlng appa-
ratus, a long stick, from when huns
a stout string tied to sort Oh ureuS-
ing machine This machine was at
tached to the part Of the stick nearest
the ground, and is worked with me
string attachment. When snake 10
seen Mr. Mason, with the stick IN cue
right hand, string in the lett, foiioWs
| it. places it over the snakes body, ana
the snake is no longer at liberty.
well" said Mr.. Mason, after the
first snake was caught, Ibid he run
after me or die l have to run AFTER
him?'
"You see," he said, without waiting
for a reply, 'if had gone about my
own business, as it were, that snake
would now be enjoying the pleasure OF
basking in the hot sun. No." continued
he, "a vicious dog would have turned
on me without provocation, DIT no
matter how vicious snake is, be VIII
avoid a conflict.
81 have gone into den OF nearly
| 100 snakes, and not one OF them
| turned on me until cornered, ana tnen
| the fun began. Time and again have
| been bitten, but have not yet met any
thing snake shaped that fear. Ii
were to show the white feaCner things
might be different, but | know what TO
do when there is danger around.
Near Randolph, about two miles
away from the nearest electric ROAD,
catch at least 20 rattlers to one cop
perhead. There are to be found the
Indian roads, unknown to any but pro-
fessors from the different colleges that
accompany me when there Is an In
yestigation of the different snake poi
sons under way. The copperheads are
most plentiful at or near the crags at
Milton. very far away from places VS.
tied on Sunday by picnicklng parties.
"They run as high as two pounds III
weight and five feet long. Bull snakes,
of which there are none in the vicinity,
weigh as much as eight pounds, and
are at least ten feet long. have fought
them. and am ready to do so again.
"Once 1 fought IA rattlers. 1t took
me two hours to get the last one, and
though they were as mad as hornets
I got the last one without harm, all
alive.
"Strange as it may SEEM" said Mr.
Mason. as he stroked the head OF one
of the snakes which had ventured to
the top of the bag in which it had been
mt women are not as much afraid
of snakes as are the sterner sex. A
woman will naturally shrink from
snake. but this is due to fear. When,
however she is told that no harm will
result from patting it's head this way
she will forget her fear and will DO as
I am doing now ten times quicker than
could get a man 20 do it. It is the
same with women and dogs. Men like
dogs. but would not give them the
same attention as women 40"
Though the best time of the year for
catching purposes is the first two
weeks in May, an idea may be given Of
the number caught when it is told that
on April II Mr.. Mason caught rs snakes
all told. Some of them were four feet
long
When brought to Boston the snakes
are put into large packing case COW
cred with wire netting. Here they are
fed great care being taken to give
them plenty of water.
On dark days Prof. Mason kills those
best suited to his taste-that is, the
ones that will bring him the most
profit.
The poison taken from them is bot
tied up and later sold to colleges at a
good profit. Then the bodies are bot
tied up and labeled, to be used later
for the edification of students.
When the proper kind are caught
they are fattened and killed for OIL
The latter is used for many things,
mostly for identifying purposes, after
it is made into cream for the skin
Large bull snakes, those weighing
eight pounds, will give four ounces of
oil. If caught in the fall fair-sized
snake will have enough fat to keep it
alive for nine months, and this fat
can be turned into money through the
oil process. The bull snake oil is the
best kind.
It's skin is worth one dollar, the oil
is worth one dollar and the states
where they are caught give a bounty
of one dollar for each one killed. The
eastern market secures them for the
price that the oil and skin would bring.
The Correct Writers.