220 



RECREATION. 



ing. As a consequence of this act of 

 treachery, Lopez will live in solitude the 

 remainder of his life. — Zoological Society 

 Bulletin. 



THE RATTLEBUG. 



OLD SILVERTIP. 



Lots of readers will wonder what sort 

 of a bug that is. Well, it is a bug with 

 no legs, rather a long body and is peculiar 

 to the "wild and woolly West." People 

 have theories about this bug. There is a 

 common saying here, "Show me a prairie 

 dog town and I will show you a rattle- 

 snake." Now in all my experience with 

 rattles, I have not found over 6 in prairie 

 dog towns. I have found the rattlers 

 mostly in the neighborhood of water, on 

 rocky side hills or sage brush flats. 



I once saw a sight that I have often 

 wished to see again. There was a heavy 

 fog with a light rain, making it impossible 

 to see over 50 yards. I was walking 

 along quietly, expected to get a snap shot 

 at a coyote near a dog town, when I saw 

 sitting at the mouth of one of the holes 2 

 owls. They were the exact color of gold; 

 not another color could I see; and they 

 were not over 3 inches in height. As soon 

 as they saw me, down the hole they went 

 head first. Can anyone tell me the name 

 of those owls? I would be much obliged 

 for information on the subject through 

 Recreation. 



To return to the rattlebug : it is a popu- 

 lar belief that this reptile will always rattle 

 before striking. I have struck them before 

 they could rattle, but they do not always 

 rattle before they strike. Once I picked 

 up my dish rag from the ground where it 

 had fallen and under it was a rattler all 

 coiled up ; yet even while I was killing him 

 he never rattled once. 



You hear the expression "snake bite." 

 No snake can bite. They strike. Their 

 head and jaws are loosely connected and 

 they have no power to bite. Again you 

 will hear people say, "Look out, a rattle- 

 snake will spring at you." I have hit them 

 with sticks, poked them and have done all I 

 could to make one spring at me, but, up to 

 date, not one has sprung. I have seen them 

 raise 1-3 of their body off the ground and 

 strike, but only the part elevated did I see 

 move. 



I killed a rattler last summer and on 

 cutting off its rattle I noticed it was dif- 

 ferent from any I had seen. When cut off 

 it was bluish black all over,. It has now 

 turned a dirty flesh color. 



I was camped one night on a sage brush 

 flat with my bed on the ground as usual. 

 Along in the night I was awakened by I 

 knew not what. I had learned never to 

 jump or sit up when first awakened and 

 OH no account to roll over, and have so 



schooled myself that I never move until 

 I know what's up. I heard a purring 

 sound like that made by a cat. "A skunk," 

 thought I, and was just going to slide out 

 when something touched my leg and I knew 

 it was a snake. I can not describe my feel- 

 ings. As soon as it stopped moving the 

 purring began again. It came up slowly 

 toward my face. Every time it moved the 

 purring ceased, and when it stopped it was 

 so close to my face that I could feel its 

 head on my breast. I was desperate. I 

 made a jump. How it was done I don't 

 know nor do I care. It landed me nearly 

 on top of the stove. Out of the flap of the 

 tent I went and got the axe. Perhaps I 

 didn't make mince meat of that rattler. 

 Can anyone tell me if a rattler will always 

 purr in that manner when in bed with a 

 person? I am not anxious to try it again 

 for proof. 



TREATMENT OF SNAKE BITE. 



In Recreation I note queries of V. A. L., 

 Albany, N. Y., regarding venomous snakes, 

 and believing it a subject of vast impor- 

 tance to sportsmen, I submit information he 

 solicits, together with a few remarks for 

 those interested. First find your snake. 

 Procure a cane long enough to prevent 

 coming within striking distance, say 6 feet 

 for a rattler; fasten a strap on the side 

 at one end, pass it over the end and 

 through a staple on opposite side, forming 

 an adjustable loop. Attach a stout cord to 

 end of strap, slip the slack loop over the 

 snake's neck, recover slack quickly and 

 fasten firmly, and you have your captive to 

 examine at leisure. 



The venom glands are vital, hence their 

 removal insures death. Usually snakes 

 robbed of their fangs refuse food and die 

 of starvation. 



It is deplorable that so few physicians 

 know the proper thing to do in a case of 

 snake bite. Several instances of this kind 

 came to my notice while living West of the 

 Mississippi. Each year marks the unnec- 

 essary death of thousands of snake-bitten 

 people through a lack of knowledge of the 

 proper treatment. In India alone the death 

 rate runs into hundreds of thousands annu- 

 ally, outnumbering deaths from all other 

 causes. Queen Victoria contributed from 

 her private purse large sums of money an- 

 nually to establish and maintain a corps of 

 eminent physicians who should make the 

 subject of antidotes for snake venom a life 

 study. In this work governments have co- 

 operated, and reptiles innumerable have 

 found their way into crates and sacks all 

 over the globe, yet so far permanganate 

 of soda is the only known agent that will 

 fully destroy the venom without also de- 

 stroying the tissues and allowing the flesh 

 to becorne §oake4 with watery blood, 



