The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-09-20
SNAKE STORIES
OF THE SEASON
Hair-Raising Tales Come from
All Sections
FACTS ABOUT SERPENTs
Deaths From Snake Bite Not Numer-
GUS in This Country-Deadly
Hooded Cobra Kills Many
in India.
From the New York Press.

from the New York Press.
Astounding snake stories are coming
from Lake George just now, enough to
NIL a page day in the Press. But no
body seems to get bitten or die. We have
a population of about 100000 in the
United States and the deaths from the
snake bites do not average more than
four year DIR. Hornaday says 1.-The
number of timid people who are fright
ened by harmless snakes each year must
be about 100000
The eminent director of the geological
park tells US: Fortunately, we have not
in America any house-haunting serpents
of great cunning and unfailing deadliness
like the hooded COBRA or the cobra de
capello, of India. The bite of this species
Is very deadly, and whether wholly guilty
or not it is debited in India annually
with the deaths of between 1900 and o.
coo persons. 1t is said however, that
many persons are murdered on the sly
and their deaths are charged up to the
account of the cobra de capello. All save
one of Americas species of poisonous
serpents are so peculiarly marked that
it is possible for any intelligent person,
to know them all and recognize their
dangerous character in moment. Why
II
reality there are only five types to learn
all the rattlesnakes and massasaugas
being referable to one group by reason of
the rattles and button on their tails"
Big Rattlers.'
The biggest RATHER | ever saw meas
ured feet inches. and had IS rattles
and a button. He was a noble specimen
of the diamond variety being 31a inches
in q mi T1r du We
: the skin of the largest specimen known to
him is owned by Mrs. C. F. Latham of
/ Oak Lodge, Fla. The wearer measured,
before skinning, feet inches, and its
girth at the thickest part of the body
| was Is inches. A beautiful nature edi-
| torial on snakes appeared in a New York
morning paper last Monday. In it &C.
Cured this: "In these bodies of water
moccasins swim, and, even as the tired
fawn, rattlesnakes crawl to the brink,
! cool their tempered threats and lave their
| speckled bodies in the waters of the
mighty Mississippi" Who ever heard of
! a "speckled' rattlesnake? Who ever
heard of a rattlesnake taking bath?
Song of the Rather.
| On railroad survey in the south many
years ago a rodman was a grandson Of
Gen. Sam Houston. We knew him as
| Little Dick" One hot day in the heart
| of the Blue Ridge mountains II was nee
essary for him to place his rod in the
| midst of a hawbush. Happening to be
looking through the transit / saw the
| boy spring away several times as If In
| fear. An axman. sent to his aid, report
| ed that something was singing in the
| bush. We all went toward and routed
| out RATHER more than 5 feet long In the
| act of springing at Little Dick" We
| Stayed him after a hard battle with
| poles and axes. You could smell him a
mile The rattler, when aroused to the
| highest pitch of excitement, emits pc
culiar odor. something between exploded
gasoline and sulphuric acid Many wo-
| men emit the same odor when in fury.
| Perhaps they got the scent from Eve.
The song of the RATHER Is different from
| the song Of Miriam. The slow Vibration