= The Rattle Snake. 
thatregion. I found the opinion universally prevalent among the in- 
habitants there, that the leaves of the white ash were highly offensive to 
the rattle snake. Several persons of respectability assured, me that 
_ ghe rattle snake was never found on land where the white ash grows, 
that it was the uniform practice among hunters, as well as others, 
whose business Jed: them to traverse the woods in the summer months, 
to stuff their shoes and boots, and frequently their pockets also, with 
whiteash Jeaves,.as a preventive of the bite of the rattlesnake, 
and.that they. had never known or heard of any person being sae: 
who had used this precaution. ee 
Sometime in the month of August, I went with Mr, T. Kirdand 
ete Dr. C. Dutton, then residing at Poland, to the Mahoning, for the 
purpose of shooting deer, at a place where they were in the habit « 
coming into the river, to feed.on the moss attached to the stones:in 
the shoal water. We took our watch station on an elevated part of 
the bank, fifteen or twenty yards from the edge of the water. About 
an hour after we had commenced our watch, instead of .a deer, we 
discovered a large rattle snake, which, as it appeared, had left his den, 
in the rocks beneath us, and was slowly advancing across a smooth, 
narrow sand beach towards the water. Upon hearing our woices, 
or for some other cause, he stopped and. lay eaiaehan out. 
head near the water. It occurred to me, thatan ‘opportunity now 
offered to try the virtues of the white ash leaves. Requesting the 
gentlemen to keep, in my absence, a watch over our subject, I went 
immediately in search of the leaves, and on a piece of low ground 
or forty rods back from the river, I.soon found, and by the aid 
of my hunting knife, procured a small white ash sapling eight or ten 
feet i in length, and with a view to make the experiment more. satis- 
factory, I cut another sapling of the sugar maple, and with hese 
wands returned tothe scene of action. In order to cut off a retreat 
to his den, I approached the snake in his rear, _ As soon as I eame 
within about seven or eight feet of him, he quickly threw - 
into a coil, elevated his head eight or ten inches, and brandisl 
tongue, “gave note of preparation” for combat. I first aeons 
him the white ash, placing the leaves upon his body... He instantly 
dropped his head to the ground, unfolded his coil, rolled over’ meen 
ly righted, and placed himself is in the same mei se (i 
ced # 
