The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1905-12-16
SNAKE TALES BY A SCIENTIST.


Bronx the other evening Curator Ray
mond L. Ditmars, of the Bronx Park
reptilian collection, let slip story not
found in school text books. He was
describing the vicious disposition of
the diamond back.
Only one case of genuine domesti-
cation of this species had ever reached
his ear. There was man down in
Florida who so enjoyed the intimacy
of snakes-rattle-snakes above all
that he tanned rattler and handled
him quite freely.
When the rats began troubling the
gentleman's chicken yard he used to
let the snake out in the evening to
destroy the pests. One night he left
his reptilian playmate out all night,
although the neighbors had threat
ened to destroy it if found at large.
The gentleman was awakened in
the night by what sounded like a
mans groans downstairs. With his
slippers and candle, he sailed down
to investigate and discovered bur-
glar half way over the window sill.
The faithful rattler was coiled around
one leg of the burglar and had his
tail out of the window rafting for the
police.
The little black snake is credited
with prodigous powers in some rural
communities. Mr.. Ditmars never
saw one longer than six or seven feet,
but farmer in the back country re-
ports specimen at least ten feet in
length.
This snake raided chicken yard
all one summer, until one day a watch
was set and the marauder was inter-
rupted just as he had slowed away
full grown rooster. He scuttled of
the way he had come, but in trying
to crawl between two fence rails the
bulk of the chicken in his stomach
blocked ali progress half way through.
Just then a hen strolled along the
other side of the fence. Unable to
resist the temptation, the snake en-
quilted her, too, and was unable to
move either way.
When the farmer was asked for the
skin of this monster it was not in evi
dence. He didn't pay much atten-
ton to such things, the rustic ex-
planned. Probably he had burned
the carcass or the pigs had eaten it.
There is a pugnosed belligerent
little reptile known as the hognosed
adder that has trick of playing pos
sum when attacked. IF it once gets
started on the role the snake can be
tied into knots and handled indis-
criminately for an hour or more. The
darkies of Florida believe that this
reptile is a particular chum of the
devil and endowed with poisonous
breath, although it is really quite
harmless.
While snake hunting in the South
a year or two ago. Mr.. Ditmars plot
ted to win the admiration of his guides
and the population by announcing
that he had marvellous powers. He
was endowed with the gift of destroy
ing life by sign.
The natives had never heard Of this
possum stunt of their dreaded adder,
and when the performer formed them
in circle around a specimen found
in the fields they quaked in their
boots such as had boots. The ma
gician advanced rapidly as if to at
tack the enclosed snake, pointed his
finger to the sky, muttered to him
self, and the adder obediently turned
on its back.
1t was timidly passed from hand to
hand. The performer beamed with
satisfaction. He would go one bet
ter. If the audience would form
large. circle he would restore life to
the dead reptile.
The audience obeyed. The snake
found all surroundings peaceable after
a few minutes, and turned over, to
slide away to parts unknown.
Mr.. Ditmars faced around to accept
the admiration Of his guides, but the
landscape was all still life. To the
last ragged urchin his assistant snake
ers were gone, never to exhibit their
faces in camp again.-N Y Sun.