The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1914-07-30


ing one day near the edge of pond,
in the low country of South Carolina.
With me was a very valuable setter
of great courage and strength, NAM
ed 'Othello.' The dog was ahead OF
me some distance. when Of sudden
it gave loud and peculiar cry OF
pain. knew at once that something
serious had happened to make Otnel-
10 cry out as he did. AS l started
toward him he approached me drag,
ging himself by his front feet. | saw
that his hind legs we're paralyzed, and
| jumped to the conclusion that he
had been bitten by a snake. \Actlng
on the theory, l searched the place
where he had first cried out, and
found a large black snake, which ap-
peared very angry and excited. l
killed it and returned to Othello, to
find that he had been struck in the
flank in such a way as to completely
paralyze his hind legs for the space
of half an hour. Eventually he got
entirely we'll. l suppose the dog at
tackled the reptile, for he killed many
black snakes in my presence.
A Discriminating Sense.
1t is a well-known fact that when
aneered or excited other species of
snakes besides the rattlesnake vi
brate their tails vigorously. If you
should corner a black snake or
coach-whip snake they will whip
around and about with their tails in
a way to make you stand back IN
fear. But this fact does not seem
to deter some dogs from falling upon
them and destroying them, as in the
case of Othello. Would Othello have
attacked so recklessly a rattlesnake?
There appears to be some age-old in
stinct in creatures of all sorts which
teaches them to discriminate between
venomous snakes and the harmless
ones. At the Bronx park, in New
York city, in interesting experiment
covering this point was carried out.
A large cobra, from India, was con-
fined in a cage and fed from time to
time on snakes native to America.
One day a large specimen of the COM
mon brown water snake (tropidono-
tus taxispilotus,) popularly known in
the South as a water moccasin, was
dropped into the cobra's cage. ct
is not commonly known, but this spe-
cies is non-poisonous, and is very fe-
rocious and pugnacious in appear
ance and habits. WiWthout a mo-
ment's hesitation the cobra flew at
the big snake and sank its deadly
fangs into it. The victim, always
ready for a fight. put up valiant
struggle for life, thrashing the cobra
about the cage in an alarming man
ner. Death was inevitable for the
big reptile, however, and in the space
Of two minutes it lay lifeless. The
carcas was removed, and Immediate
lv a large specimen of the highly
poisonous cotton-mouth moccasin
(Ancistrodon piscivorus) was put into
the cobra's cage. The Oriental
snake at once started toward the new
intruder, but when within few inch
es Of it stopped stock still. raised its
head, spread its hood, and slowly
sway ed from side to side. For some
seconds it intently surveyed the moe
casin. whipping out its tongue in
puzzled manner. then slowly backed
away into a far corner, leaving the
visitor in undisputed possession Of
the cage. What subtle sense re-
strained the cobra from tiinging it
self upon the poisonous reptile? Both
species placed in the cage were stran-
gers to it, being natives Of the New
World. In appearance and size the
poisonous and the non-po SoHo"s
snakes we're much alike. AAa, still
it took but an instant's survey for the
cobra to know that there was dlt-
ference and to act on that knowledge.
A Peculiar Power to Charm.
But to return to the original sub
ject of this article. Has any snake
the power to charm other creatures
to their death? 1t appears so. The
rattlesnake alone seems TO be endow-
ed with the ability to bring about
fatal results without using its poison
Gus fangs upon victim. 1t has nev-
er been the fortune of the writer to
witness a rattiesnake engaged IN
charming another creature. Nor has
he ever heard of any other snake than
a rattlesnake causing the death of
a fellow creature by simply standing
before it and going through some
bodily motions-viz., the incessant
buzzing of its rattles. Several we'll
authenticated stories, ali from gentle