The Washington herald., 1912-01-28
FEROCIOUS WILD BEASTS
ALMOST NEW TO SCIENCE
FearSome Creatures of the Forest Unknown Up to
Present Time Save by Aboriginal Indians
and Lumber Jacks

Much that was hitherto regarded as
myterious in regard to certain little
known and ferocious animals inhabiting
the forests OF this country has been made
clear by the investigations of an. eminent
faunal naturalist, Mr.. William T. Cox
Mr.. Cox who is now State forester Of
Minnesota. with headquarters at St Paul,
was for many years connected with the
government Forest Service. Incidental
! to his duties he spent many months In
logging camps in more or less remote re-
gions and learned a great deal about the
creatures In question from ''lumberjaclIs'
and other experienced persons who had
seen them.
about the roperite one OF the most re-
markabfe OF these beasts. which carries
on the end Of its nose sort Of running
moose, In fact. this prolongation Of its
snout takes the form OF a lasso, WITH
which the animal captures Jackrabbits
an other prey. pursuing the latter with
enormous leaps and bounds and uttering
the while ferocious yells that can be
heard for miles.
No one seems to know with dehniteness
anything about its life history. and many
discussion has been based on the ques-
tion whether IL is born, hatched from an
egg, or comes into existence sponta-
neousIy from some mountain cavern. The
Digger Indians say that roperites are the
spirits OF early Spanish ranchers, and
blood-curdling are the tales they tell Of
hapless persons pursued by the beast,
shared with its marvellous rope-like beak,
and dragged to death through thorny
chaparral. According to A B. Patterson.
Of Hot Springs. Cal, who saw the last
specimen authentieally reported. the ami
NAL has a large set of rattles on its tall.
which It vibrates when in pursuit Of
game. thus producing a whirring sound
like that Of a giant rattlesnake.
The fact that the animals discussed
by Mr.. Cox in book Just published
by the Buth Company. st. Paul Cof
which the writer is permitted to make
the first review. are so little known Is
mainly attributable, first. to the rare
ness Of the species concerned, and sec
ond, to their. seclusion in the densest
and least-explored forests, where faunal
naturalists generally have not had a
chance TO come at or describe them.
snoIigoster Likes "PIcks.'
Thus the strange and dangerous
creature known as the snoligoster il
found only in the most remote cypress
swamps OF the South, and particularly
in the region about Lake okeechobee.
Fla. It is of enormous size and feeds
exclusively on human nbeings-particularly
negro pickanlnnies. In form It re-
sembies a huge crocodile. but Is covered
with long, glossy fur and has no legs
or fms. except one long spike on its
back. To enable II to travel through
the muddy waters in which it lives, ma
ture has provided II with an arrange
ment OF three bony plates on the end Of
its tail much resembling the propeller
OF steamboat These, however. serve
an additional purpose. for, when the
creature catches a colored person II
tosses the victim up and backward so
as to impale him upon the spike-fin.
The snoligoster's tail Is then driven into
the mud and revolves until a hole Is
scooped out, wherein. the prey. Is de-
posted and covered up, to furnish a
subsequent meal.
The squOnk, on the other hand, Is an
entirely harmless, though very curious,
beast. II Is said to be fairly common in
the hsmlock forests Of Pennsylvania, and
Il travels about only at twilight Be-