Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1905-09-28
o g TCH Is r TTLER
IMPLY sTooP AND PICK HIM Up.
sviTH YOUR HANDS.

MI ~ tYOON fSAN0S.
; &c the 9aake d Coiled, Lay One Hand
over II and the Other Under II, and
II WaII Net Move to Get Away.
$500 Facts About the Reptiles.
Here are some facts about snakes
h given BY young man who has studied
lbem since he was ten years old:
The best way to catch a snake is to
simply stoop down and pick 1t up, as
You would q toad or q turtle. Some
hines with a RATHER 1t ts as we'll TO
Dut a stick on his head until you get
your hand on him. 1t the snake Is
:oiled, simply lay one hand over 1t and
the other under 1t, and the snake will
4 not move to get away.
There Is surer cure for snake bite
han any brand OF whisky. 1t is strych-
MIA sulphate, nitroglycerin and potas-
Sium permanganate, which may be
carried In tablet form and must be dis.
solved In water and Injected hypo-
asrmically.
This young naturalist was without
Ills antidote the first time he was bitten
by q RATHER. 1t was on the Mojave
desert, and he was prowling around
among some old prospect holes. Stoop-
ing down to pick up a piece of copper
ore lying at the mouth Of a hole, he
disturbed big RATHER, and It struck
him. He placed ligatures on his hand
and arm and started for camp. At the
first camp he got razor and bled his
finger as well as he could, but 1t was
nine hours before he could get to his
medicine. The next day his whole side
was numb and stif, and 1t was three
weeks before he entirely recovered
from the effects Of the poison. He had
not neglected, however, to catch the
snake, and this became his special pet.
The lesson he learned was that a
quick movement in front of q rattler's
eyes is most dangerous proceeding
and 1t will make snake strike quick
or than anything else. In handling
strange rattlesnakes he is always lit
& tie careful and usually draws them
into his hand over his coat sleeve. A
scaressing little pat on the head seems
to have the same effect OH snakes as
on other animals.
After putting a RATHER on the floor
Of his room and teasing 1t, to make it
coil and strike, this snake trainer pick
ed 1t up in his hand. patted its head
and then pried open the big mouth
with 1 nail to show itg fangs, seven
on each side, In different stages OF
development, from one like a pin
point to one the size OF a birds claw.
The large fang is likely to drop out
at least once q year, but II injured 1t
may be replaced three or four times
year.
There Is about the same danger
from the bite OF a nonvenomous snake
40 from the bite Of a dog or a cat. It
may IT may not be serious. All de-
ponds upon whether poisonous germ
u transmitted md upon the condition
or the blood OF the person bitten.
Baby rattlers are fitted from the. be-
ginning with fangs and saos Of poison
and are ready for business, but they
hare only d little button on their tails
where the rattles are to come later.
In the matter OF food snakes vary.
They cannot be treated to cold scraps.
Of all kinds. In fact. most OF them
are rather particular about having
their food served alive. IL they are
very hungry they NAV take something
freshly killed, but they vastly prefer
to do thSlr own killing
4 Gopher snakes live principally on
rodents with birds and occasionally
birds eggs as delicacies Fathers
also prefer rodents. Water. snakes
have i WEAKNESS for frogs The corral
snake. which 10 very common In the
southwest, 10 quite = general eater.
ae takes birds. eggs, lizarls, horned
to6ds, gophers, rats and frogs he isl
- cannlbai too. A corral snake was
ones seen to devour & racer eighteen
inches longer than himself. He did
not eat again for some time.
Constructing snakes squeeze their
victims until they can no longer resist.
Yiperfne snakes strike and poison their
prey. Water snakes start right In on
y frog while It is alive.
n anake's teeth are. fine and sharp
and numerous. They look like fine fish
bones, all curved backward. The un-
der Jaw bone lis divided In the middle.
and the food Ia worked In with an al
:tsrnating movement of the lower jaw.
Aidsti Nv q forward and back move,
ment Of the upper jaw Eith Its row Of
hooked teeth. With such teeth II would
seem quite Impossible for a snake to
ttasorge yet this young man made one
S9ive up = bird which had been partly
swallowed and stuck fast by it's beak
having gone through the snakes body.
a snakes digestive organs may be
eloW but they are very sure Teeth,
skin hair and every part Of the prey is
dig6sted. The hard; fiinty teeth OF a
rat win BE found Ii the snake 10 dis
Eected Within q week, to be soft enough
- crush IA the fingers.
Snakes only care to eat once In three
~ four menths though they drink
much Through the winter they
hibernate in capttyity as when free.
/ Occaaionally they may be reused and
mn possibly eat something. but they
zare very slug 81 I
Const sting ma No have = powerful
~. III c3n osened instantly