THE BANDED RATTLE SNAKE. 79 



a sickness : be swelled, and before a physician could 

 be called in, he died. All his neighbours were sur- 

 prised at this sudden death, but the corps was in- 

 terred without examination. A few days after one 

 of the sons put on his father's boots, and at night 

 when he pulled them ofF he was seized with 

 the same symptoms, and died on the following 

 morning. The doctor arrived, but, unable to di- 

 vine the cause of so singular a disorder, seriously- 

 pronounced both the father and the son to have been 

 bewitched. At the sale of the effects, a neighbour 

 purchased the boots, and on putting them on expe- 

 rienced the like dreadful symptoms with the lather 

 and son : a skilful physician, however, being sent 

 for, who had heard of the preceding affair, sus- 

 pected the cause, and, by applying proper reme- 

 dies, recovered his patient. The fatal boots were 

 now carefully examined, and the two fangs of the 

 snake were discovered to have been left in the lea- 

 ther with the poison-bladders adhering to them. — 

 They had penetrated entirely through, and both the 

 father and son had imperceptibly scratched them- 

 selves with their points in pulling off the boots*. 



Dr. Brlckell says he was a witness to an encoun- 

 ter 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 pre- 



Hectcr St. Joljn, z%%. 



