PRECAUTIONS AGAINST SNAKES. 337 



where the other had been ; and when the unfortunate 

 girl moved her hand in her sleep to brush it from her 

 neck, the fangs of the enraged reptile were instantly 

 buried in her throat. The deep sleep produced by a 

 sultry heat was upon her, and she awoke no more. 

 When the parents visited their child in the morning, 

 an offensive, putrid mass of corruption, in which they 

 could hardly recognise the loved countenance, was all 

 that met their siofht. 



In some parts of the Southern States these snakes 

 are so numerous that it is dangerous to camp out 

 without taking some precaution to guard against 

 them. The camping- ground should be chosen upon 

 an open space away from weeds, bushes, or rocky 

 ground. Some hunters encircle their bivouac with 

 the horse-hair halters which they carry, to protect 

 themselves from the snakes. I know not whether 

 there is any magic or virtue in horse-hair, but the 

 reptiles have never been known to enter the magic 

 circle. They have also a most decided antipathy to 

 the leaves or branches of white ash, and are never 

 found in spots where that plant is abundant. Some 

 hunters, acting upon this hint, stuff their mocassins 

 and boots with the leaves, as a safeguard against the 

 bite of rattlesnakes. 



Numerous remedies have been proposed as a cure 

 for their bite — suction, caustics, and internal medi- 

 cines. The Indians frequently employ the first-named 



z 



