Original Observations on Reptiles and Insects of Texas. 15 



length as the ones I had seen shortly previous escaping under 

 the brush and leaves. All had one rattle at the tail end, and 

 they tried to bite us or escape, but we killed every one of them. 

 "At another time when I was engaged in the sheep busi- 

 ness and herded a large flock myself, I often met a number of 

 rattlesnakes. And it was while herding one time that I en- 

 countered an unusually large specimen spread out on the prai- 

 rie. It was apparently asleep, with numerous young reptiles 

 surrounding it. It noticed my movements and began rattling 

 fiercely, and, with its mouth wide open, I noticed how all the . 

 young snakes rapidly entered and disappeared inside the old 

 snake's mouth- After killing and dissecting the old snake. I 

 found the young ones alive and of same size as those I had seen 

 shortly before." 



The above data are the more interesting, as some time after- 

 ward I related these facts to a local snake dealer and received 

 from him the astonishing answer that among some forty thousand 

 specimens of all the snake species handled during the last 

 five years, it had not occurred to him once that the rattler or any 

 other kind of snake paid any particular attention to its young. 

 This may be explained, it seems to me, by reason that these 

 reptiles are confined so closely in wire cages that they instinc- 

 tively feel safe, and do not impart such warning signals to their 

 young as those in the open air during pending danger. How else 

 could it be explained? 



Another interesting scene of this photo collection is our road 

 runner, or chaparral cock, with a lizard in its beak. It is 

 claimed these useful birds also kill snakes and other reptiles, 

 but their main food consists of lizards and insects. I have seen 

 one with a young prairie rat in its beak, out in the hills of 

 Helotes, near the road. This photo was made shortly after 

 capture. I may state in connection herewith, the chaparral 

 cock is a typical Texas prairie bird, and belongs to the 

 cuckoo family. I have absolutely no literature on this in- 

 teresting bird, and I will quote from memory a few peculiarities 

 of same. It is about the size of a full-grown chicken but of 

 slender and imposing stature, with long neck, feet and tail 

 feathers, of beautiful greenish dark blue plumage, with white 

 feathers along its body and wings. It has a strongly developed, 

 pointed and slightly curved long beak with which it attacks its 

 prey, especially lizards and young snakes, and all sorts of in- 



