The Rattlesnakes 



snake when removed from its natural surroundings. A medium- 

 sized rabbit is placed in the cage and the snake at once shifts its 

 coils to a striking posture. The rabbit betrays no signs of fear 

 and may hop toward the reptile which warily draws back its head. 

 While nosing about, the rabbit momentarily presents its side to 

 the snake and like a flash of light the deed is done. The human 

 eye can observe but two things. First the snake appeared to 

 strike for the rabbit and secondly to have barely touched it 

 with its jaws; but during that blurred movement, several things 

 have happened, thus: The snake struck for the rabbit with 

 opening jaws ; when its head reached the prey its jaws were very 

 wide apart and the fangs raised to such an extent that they were 

 cast directly forward; the fangs pierced the rabbit; the jaws 

 were closed sufficiently to deeply imbed the fangs; a muscle 

 over each poison gland was contracted and a considerable quantity 

 cf venom was injected. Some of these movements were simul- 

 taneous. But the effect upon the rabbit must be noted. The 

 snake is back in the original position before the rabbit's frightened 

 squeal is over. The little creature bounds forward, rolls on 

 its side, kicks convulsively, and is dead. Barely one minute 

 passes from the time of the serpent's stroke to the termination 

 of the death struggle. Possibly some reader may think this is 

 a cruel performance. If so that reader debates a provision of 

 Nature that none among us should be bold enough to criticise. 

 And just a word about this so-called "cruelty" as compared 

 with the habits of those who have criticised the feeding of 

 reptiles. 



There are many in the human family, who preach strongly 

 against alleged cruelty, yet think nothing of taking a pack of 

 vicious dogs to assist them in running a helpless deer to within 

 range of a chargeof buckshot. Many an animal has staggered into 

 a thicket with broken leg or shoulder to bleed and die slowly 

 for the sake of "sport." Is this a provision of Nature? Yet 

 the writer remembers an instance when a gentleman, very fond 

 of a much-used collection of rifles and shotguns, once remarked 

 upon witnessing a rattlesnake being fed, that the snake exhib- 

 ited the most demoniacal cruelty he had ever seen displayed 

 and the creature should be fed raw meat or nothing. 



But to return to the rattlesnake and the dead rabbit: The 

 snake waits patiently until it is satisfied that the last spark of life 



