The Bingham County news. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1918-1930, 1921-07-29
SNAKE HUNTERS
ALARM TOURISTS
Reptile Study Club Is Met in
Its Spring Hunt.
CARRIES HUGE PETS ALONG

Pituophis Say BeIlona oblieingIy
Grapes Himself About the Shout
ders Of Mrs. Williams, Wife Of the
Director, for the Benefit Of the
Photographers-Societyl Is Trying to
Prevent the Slaughter Of Harmless
and Beneficial Snakes.
do you see what seer" said one
chauffeur to his companion as he halt
ed his truck at bare ledge of rock
on the Great Notch Montclair road
last Saturday afternoon, Raymond h.
TOrrey recently wrote In the New
York Evening Post.
"Great suffering Aunt Maria!" said
the head Of family party In tour
Ing car as he hated, too.
More motorists pulled up and
stared, goggle-eyed. Two small boys
going fishing turned and their jaws
dropped us they gazed.
A huge snake, yellow and white and
bronze, seven feet long and three
inches thick. was festooned In some
what torpid folds about the shoulders
Of young woman. who was facing a
battery Of photographers. With them
were several members Of what might
be termed, for he moment, the rep
tile press, besides a dozen others.
1t was the appual spring hunt Of
the Reptile Study club. It was
rainy day. and any native Jersey
snakes had sense enough to keep to
their holes. The only reptiles original
to the locality which the members had
been able to find in the wet thickets
along the road were few tiny black
and red striped salamanders, dragged
sQuirming and indignant from the
shelter Of rocks overturned by the
searcas's t n 'NS'SF~fse.ss'.ss II a ~
Mr. WlillamS Little Pets. i-a
But the director Of the society, Al
len s. Williams. who has held these
hunts for the past i've years to bring
before the public the aim Of the so
clety, to protect and prevent unreal
soning slaughter Of harmless and bene-
fetal snakes, did not want the report.
ers and photographers disappointed.
So he brought &(c'. :. snugly in cotton
bags and packet IN suitcase, four
snakes from his private stock.
Two of the four were serpents such
IS might be found in New Jersey, and
might have been seen on this day but
for the bad weather. They were the
hog-nosed snake OF puff adder, known
in exclusive snake circles as he.erodon
platyrhinus, and the mountain black
make, otherwise oOluber Obsoletus.
They were comparatively small and.
70 give the reporters an idea OF what
the reptile tribe can do when en-
couraged, Mr.. WilMams brought along
the big fellow, a buil snake, from the
nelghborhood Of Brownsville, Tex,
which carries the formidable title Of
pituophis sayi bellona. and the slightly
smaller king snake, also from the
southwest, which, though he would no
doubt be surprised to learn of It, Is
scientifically classified as orphibulus
getulus.
These two were large and imposing
The reporters hardened to strange as
signments, gasped little and stood at
first somewhat ollishly In the offing
when Mr.. Williams took old Mr.. Pitu-
ophis out Of his rag But after he
posed about TIC shoulders of Mrs.
Williams. who g writer herself under
the name of Elizabeth Remington, and
behaved very nicely for the photo
graphers, they consented to festoon his
snakeship about t:eir slightly shrink.
ing forms and were snapped for the
news pictures.
Making Snakes More Homelike.
The two boy fishermen stood on the
outside of the circle of spectators dur
Ing this scene. What do you do when
you see snakc?" asked one of the
members, seeking to impart q lesson
In kindness to such creatures.
I'VE kill EN-" said one boy.
"Why?"
"Cause they eat the fish. Oh, yes,
they do. Why onct when l was up
ut Bear Mountain park saw a water
adder with n catfish as long as that
in his mouth"
wouldn't you like to hold this one
and see how gentle he Isl" inquired
Mr.. Williams, offering the huge bull
snake.
"Gosh-no!" replied the boy, as he
receded In the middle distance.
That's the trouble with country peo-
pie said Mr.. Williams; "they are
closer to thing han city folks and
yet they don't know so much about
creatures Of the woods and fields,
sometimes, As city people, with ad-
vantages OF learilnt from museums
and lectures do. There are only two
dangerous snakes in this part of the
country, the rattlesnake and the
copperhead, and they are no longer
found near the city"