Evening star., 1934-12-30

incidentally, snakes meat is said to be rs
appetiZing when it is cooking chicken. II
smells and looks delicious just like chicken or
turkeys breast.
Mary and Don have never corralled nerve
enough to taste it, but plenty OF people have.
The Indians have known for many years. They
have no scruples against eating snake save
where their religious worship Of the reptiles
forbids There is a company in Florida which
cans rattlesnake meat and does good business.
One hot day another snake came up into
the Williams yard. 1t made straight for the
water faucet. That snake thirsty, and
water dripping there.
Don beheld him with awe (but from a re-
spectful dstance). 1t wasn't a rattler. Don
wasn't sure what it But he knew it was
maybe feet long. Its coloring was
yellowish, with big, round splotches Of brown
Then Mr.. Williams came along and laughed
ut Don, saying It was . harmless gopher snake,
and to let 1t alone.
Don and Mary snake gatherers are never
theless obedient children. Therefore, Mr..
Gopher Snake, doubtless remembering that
his own home
"AM Summer he IoAfed around here Don
said grudginsly. Il guess he cleaned out the
rats and gophers and such, but he made hfe
miserable for me. He was always oozing out
from behind q rock or . box or something and
soaring the sox OF me- I'm never sure at .
glance whether q snakes q rattler or not.
don't love any Of them"
Mary echoed his sentiments. So did ther
mother It's quite true that . gopher or bull
snake ftwo names for the same thing rs as
harmless a cat But who wants q snake for
q house pet?
\ Ar. WILLIAMS says he isn't sure whatever
iV' became Of Bolivar (Which they named
him), but he has his suspicious.
One day Mary came running to her mother
and dad In the living rom saying. Look lookl
Isn't this odd?" 1t was odd. She held some
glistening white snakes vertebrae. and the
formation of each such that it looked
exactly like rams head
Tiny things small enough to ft in a thin-
ble they nevertheless had the eyes, the horns,
the nose and other features of the male sheep.
as If exquisitely carved by some Lillputian
sculptor.
Now the rattlesnake vertebra doesn't look
like that 1t has. very aptly, prong or horn
that looks exactly like vicious little sword,
curved and sharp of edge Mr.. Williams knew
that. From that day on he never saw poor
Bolivar about the ward again either. My
young uns are smart" says he and grins
Thus YOU can buy either rams head or Saber
beads from the williams sister and brother.
Bull snake or rattler beads. The collegians have
no thought of going into the venture on big
scale Snake catching is just hobby, but
hobby that pays. If they can ride their hobby
through college, well and good.
Periodically Don puts on his old clothes and
goes out into the wild desert hunting. Up
around Cave Greek Dam, 20 miles from home.
he has found plentiful supply.
Near the dam lives an old desert dweller
called the Capn. What he doesn't know about
snakes seems negligible. The living room and
bed room of his shack are "papered" with
rattler SKINS
ONE day he happened into Phoenix and was
~ visiting the Williams home. About pm.
he learned that the youngsters had started
making beads Of snakes backbones, but that