Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1916-08-04
big RATTLESNAKE
| CROP THIS YEAR
Demand From All Over the
Country for This californi-
ans Harvest.
GOOD PROFIT IN REPTILES
Harry Davies Has Unique Distinction
of Having Been Bitten Oftener by
Rattlers Than Any Other
Man in Country.

Los Angeles.-From the mountains
have come reports of more reptiles
to the acre of unadorned nature than
the hill people have known in years.
So Harry Davies, with a system full
of snake poison and with formidable
reputation as a tanner OF wild ana
woolly rattlers. yesterday assembled
his camp kit and forsook his home at
Mentone for unfrequented places
where a fellow will get bitten if he
doesn't watch out.
Catching things that travel on their
stomachs is Mr.. Davies real vocation.
He declares there is more proht in
really good crop of snakes. lizards and
ella monsters than in anything else he
| has so far found. His avOcation is land
scape gardening, a winter recreation
he enjoys when the chances OF face
| to-face meeting with very venomous
| reptilian are small. To pursue his
search for crawling things he has just
given up the work of experimenting
the parking of the Sasa Iona hote!
grounds.
Market for His Crop.
Mr.. Davies finds a market for his
collections of unusual live stock in
museums and ZOOS throughout the
country. He is said to be the champion
handler of snakes. and his friends de-
clare he has the unique distinction OF
having been bitten more often by rat
tiers than any man in the country.
This doubtful honor has left Mr..
Davies body considerably punctured.
and physicians declare his system is
so full of poison that he has reached
state of semi-immunity To this
condition he feels he owes his life, be-
cause recently he had the unusual ex-
perience of being bitten by ella mon
ster.
The champion snake-hunter has the
cheerful habit of handling various
sorts of venomous things without re-
moving their fangs. To demonstrate
this to a physician he pried apart the
laws of this particular ella monster
a thing he had often done. But in the
process he broke the creatures gum
and angered it. When he released II
the reptile struck at him with light
ming quickness, biting his hand. TIC
save his life the fingers and thumb OF
the member were quickly amputated
} But the physicians declare even this
heroic treatment would not have beer
| effective had not the rattlesnake
!, poison in Mr.. Davies system partially
nullified that of the ella monster.
Follows Simple Rule.
In handling the articles OF hi:
strange trade Mr. Davies follows sim
pie rule.
THE one thing to remember" hi
says, lis, do it slowly. Never make
quick movements around a snake, for i
will be frightened and strike to defen(
itself"
According to forest rangers and fish
ermen who have whipped the noun
; tain streams this spring there are lint
: prospects ahead of Mr.. Davies. Condi
lions for the Matching out of youn,
snakes have been very favorable dur
ing the past winter and the waste
|. places are literally swarming witt
many kinds. notably the belligeren
RATHER The conditions are such tina
the forest rangers are advising caution
? in walking the trails and experiences
mountaineers declare it would be foo
. ish to venture into the hills without
supply of permanganate of potash t
treat snake bites.