TEXAS NATURE OBSERVATIONS AND REMINISCENCES. 135 



plains swarmed with all sorts of 

 types of butterflies, and never be- 

 fore had I witnessed such im- 

 mense numbers along a rivulet at 

 the Geronimo Henderson ranch, 

 when' hardly a leaf or branch of 

 the forest trees and brush were 

 bare, and the sky was literally 

 covered with large, cloudy and 

 glittering masses of butterflies — 

 having gathered there by the 

 millions preparatory to their mi- 

 gratory "flight to other climes. 



Only a few other samples of 

 course can be presented Jierein of 

 the multitudes of various gorgeous 

 bxitterflies and moths encountered 

 all over the Texas forests, during 

 the summer. The three other or- 

 iginal photoviews herein for in- 

 stance are of much interest, in par- 

 ticular the large broad winged 

 specimen which was of intense 



Indian red and dark brown color 

 with white and reddish circular 

 bands across the wings, seemingly 

 as if they were two separate 

 wings. Large bluish colored cir- 

 cles with jet black outlines deco- 

 rated the apex part of both wings, 

 and (each wing showed several 

 fine, grayish circular outlinings 

 along the lower curvature. 



This large specimen of an un- 

 usually fine and rare butterfly- 

 moth measured six inches in width, 

 and it was captured lately by a 

 friend — Mr. Wm. Grossenbaeher, 

 and photoreprodueed alive by the 

 writer. 



The other two are strictly night- 

 moths — one a rare forest moth, 

 and the other one an Oleander 

 moth, both captured some years 

 ago by the late naturalist. Pro- 

 fessor G. Jermy at our San Pedro 

 Springs park. 



Texas Snakes and the Treatment of Snake Bite 



Snakes of various types and 

 snakebites, and deaths from same 

 have considerably diminished in 

 Texas of late years. The himter's 

 gun, the " snakehunters, " em- 

 ployed by reptile dealers and 

 ranchmen, have about exter- 

 minated the snakes. 



However, now, in the beginning 

 of spring and summer, due to late 

 rains and washouts in favored 

 regions of the jungles, they may 

 appear quite conspicuous again, 

 as they multiply very rapidly. 



As compared to olden times, 

 the few varieties of poisonous snakes 

 around settled and cultivated pla- 

 ces are exceedingly less numerous, 

 for reasons stated. As a rule, 

 even the most poisonous snakes 

 in our climate are very useful 

 animals, i. e., in one way only, 

 as they destroy vast numbers of 

 harmful field rodents and pestifer- 



ous insects. Even in winter time, 

 during the warmer days, these 

 snakes, the crotalids in particular, 

 will destroy numbers of prairie 

 rats and ground squirrels; and 

 the writer has occasionally ob- 

 served this during hunting trips. 

 During the month of February, 

 at Mitchell's lake, close to a road 

 leading to the main club house, 

 the writer happened to pass some 

 of the many cactus jungles near 

 the old "Laguna de los Patos de 

 Mitchell," and, hearing a com- 

 motion and rattling sound in one 

 of the cactus thickets, curiosity 

 led me to investigate the place, 

 and there, in the midst of a large 

 rat's nest and cactus jungles, a 

 huge rattlesnake could be seen in- 

 side the main entrance to it. The 

 snake must have noticed my ap- 

 proach, for it suddenly coiled its 

 body, and, head' foremost, quickly 

 crept deeper and deeper into the 



