HANDLING THE BANDED RATTLESNAKE. 



131 



tact with one I always rim too but it 



is right in among the ledges and 

 bushes, with forked stick in one hand 

 and a strong black duck bag in the 

 other. I always go in at the side of 

 a dangerous snake and never in front, 

 because there are too man}- chances 

 to be assumed by frontal approach. 

 As soon as I get near enough I pin the 

 snake down with my forked stick over 

 its neck, and. reaching down with my 

 right hand, I seize it with my thumb 

 and forefinger close to the jaws. Some 

 persons think that this is too near its 

 mouth, but such persons are in error, 

 because every joint in the backbone 

 is a ball-and-socket, and if I should 

 take the snake no further than one- 

 half inch behind the jaws, and not 

 have my thumb and forefinger close 

 against them, it would give the rep- 

 tile a chance to turn and hook his 

 fangs into some part of my hand. 



In the upper jaw of a rattlesnake 

 on each side is a poison gland and 

 from each gland is a canal which runs 

 down to the two fangs, and when these 

 fangs enter our iiesh the pressure 

 forces the poison through the canal, 

 through the two hollow fangs and 

 into the flesh. The amount of venom 

 which a rattlesnake injects is about 

 one grain, enough to kill a human 

 "being. 



For the last twenty-five years I have 

 handled and captured every species of 

 snake in Essex County, and have 

 never been bitten by any, but when 

 a rattler shall puncture my veins with 

 his two poison fangs I shall abandon 

 "nature study" and give the under- 

 taker a job. If we have steady nerves 

 and a true knowledge of the snakes' 

 habits there is not much danger. 

 Snakes are as much afraid of us as 

 we are of them and they will always 

 try to make their escape. Rattle- 

 snakes will generally give us warning 

 by shaking their rattles, and when we 

 hear the sound, which is more like that 

 •of escaping steam than like a rattle, 

 it means danger ahead. I think the 

 rattlesnake is in a way a fair snake to 

 ■deal with, because it will give us warn- 

 ing, while the deadly copperhead will 

 ;not. 



There are thirteen species of rattle- 



snakes in the United States but only 

 the banded rattlesnake is found in 

 Essex County, and that is growing 

 scarcer every year. 



The illustration shows the only safe 

 way in which to hold such a snake. 



Lying in a rattlesnakes' den is not 

 at all dangerous because they know 

 when we are there and will not appear 

 for some time after we leave the place. 



Few persons understand much about 

 the banded or timber snake (Crotalus 

 horrid us) which is the only rattlesnake 

 found in Essex County. I therefore 

 take pleasure in giving some of the 

 facts. It grows to a length of five feet, 

 and has has been known to have as 

 many as fifteen young in one brood, 

 but as a rule the number is only from 

 seven to twelve. The young when 

 born vary in length from seven to 

 twelve inches, and have a soft button 

 on the tip of the tail. In a few days they 

 shed their skin and begin to feed on 

 mice and other small animals. They 

 grow rapidly, and in about two months 

 they shed the skin for the second time, 

 after which they have the first rattle 

 which is soft and black. In a few 

 days the button becomes dry, and 

 when the tail is shaken it produces 

 a faint buzzing, caused by the loosely 

 attached button rasping against the 

 rattle. The first rattle appears at 

 about the last of the season, and it is 

 then time for the snake to enter win- 

 ter quarters in the sunny side of hills 

 and ledges. The first warm days of 

 April bring them out again and from 

 that time onward they grow very rap- 

 idly. 



In the first part of June they shed 

 their skin again and then the second 

 rattle appears, which is larger than 

 the first one. Every succeeding rattle 

 grows larger with the growth of the 

 snake. After the first year the rattle- 

 snake sheds its skin three times a 

 year — spring, midsummer and fall, ana 

 it has a new rattle after each shedding, 

 which makes three rattles a year after 

 the first year, and thus continues un- 

 til maturity when growth ceases. 



The food of a rattlesnake consists of 

 mice, ground squirrels and other small 

 rodents. If the rattlesnakes eat 

 enough at one meal to satisfy them 



