' ,_ ^ THE RATTLE SNAKE. 89 



Encounter between one and a dog. 



then fell down convulsed, and two or three times 

 got up again : he lived near two hours. Four 

 days after this two dos;s, as large as common 

 bull-dogs, were bitten by him: the one in the 

 inside of his left thigh, which died exactly in 

 half a minute ; and the other on the outside of 

 the thigh, which died in four minutes. Captain 

 Hall, in South Carolina, who made these expe- 

 riments; wished at last to try whether its poison 

 would prov% mortal to itself. He therefore hung 

 it up in such a manner that it had about half its 

 length on the ground, and irritated it by two 

 needles fastened to the end of a stick. The 

 creature made several attempts to seize the stick, 

 and then bit itself. It was let down, and in eight 

 or ten minutes was found to be lifeless. The 

 snake was afterwards cut into five pieces, which 

 were successively devoured by a hog, but witli- 

 aut receiving any injury in. consequence. 



Dr. Brickell says he was a witness to an en- 

 counter between a dog and a rattle snake, which 

 was fastened to the ground by a tolerably long 

 string. The snake coiled up, and rattled its tail; 

 and the dog being let loose seized, and attempted 

 to shake it out at full length, but from the weight 

 was preserved from doing it, and in consequence 

 it bit him in the ear. He seemed somewhat 

 stunned, and left the place, hut returned on 

 being encouraged by the company. In the se- 

 cond encounter he received a bite in his lip, 

 after which the snake bit himself. The dog from 



YOU. vi, NO. 40. M 



