NATURAL HISTORY. 



When a bird or a wild animal is killed, that is the end of it. If nhotographed, it may still live 

 and its educational and scientific value is multiplied indefinitely. 



GORDON WRIGHTER'S SNAKE STORY. 



I read Mr. Gordon Wrighter's'- article 

 about the snake and the pickerel. I have 

 seen thousands of water snakes swimming 

 but never saw one hold his head above the 

 water while swimming. Ordinarily, if not 

 invariably, it is difficult, even with good 

 eyes, to see the head of a swimming water 

 snake at a distance of 30 feet. When 

 swimming they carry their heads perhaps 

 54 or 1 inch above the surtace. They do 

 not always swim with the body exposed on 

 the surface. Frequently they swim many 

 yards completely submerged. According to 

 my observations, the only time a water 

 snake lifts his head above the water is when 

 standing still by the side of some old, partly 

 submerged log, or behind some rock or 

 other shelter in the water. Then he will 

 stealthily lift his head high enough above 

 water to make observations. 



It is rare, too, to see a 4 foot water 

 snake. This, coupled with the carrying of 

 its head one foot above the water when 

 swimming, would indicate with certainty 

 that Mr. Wrighter's snake was not a water 

 snake. Undoubtedly it was of the black 

 snake family, which carries its head high, 

 usually a foot or more when swimming, and 

 is a rapid, graceful swimmer. Undoubtedly 

 also it„was the rarity of this species of 

 snake to the pickerel that led the fish to 

 make the attack, the fish imagining the 

 snake to be food, fit for his use. The vora- 

 ciousness of pickerel is proverbial. In their 

 choice of food they show unmistakable de- 

 pravity and cannibalistic tendencies. The 

 victims of pickered are often nearly a? 

 large as the pickerel. 



I can believe that a 4 or 5 pound pickerel 

 would cut a 4 foot snake in 2, and do it 

 quickly. All old pickerel fishermen know 

 of the keen, pointed teeth in the jaw of the 

 pickerel. On several occasions I have had 

 my fingers cut to the bone by them when 

 taking a hook loose. I have seen green- 

 horns when removing the hook from a pick- 

 erel, have their fingers lacerated until it 

 was dangerous. The teeth of a fish that 

 will cut human flesh, will cut the flesh of 

 a snake ; also, a strong line. I have fre- 

 quently had lines that I could not break 

 with my hands cut by pic^ pr eL This is the 

 experience of many others. The teeth of 

 a pickerel are not situated like those of 

 man, or some of the animals ; the rabbit, 

 for instance, which has teeth adapted to 

 cutting off twigs, as smooth as if cut with 

 a knife. The teeth of the pickerel stand 

 out from his jaws irregularly, and as Mr. 



178 



Shields said, no 2 correspond, or fit against 

 the other ; but they stand up like so many 

 sword points, and are admirably arranged 

 to chafe, grate, file away, as it were, the 

 strongest fish line. 'We must bear in mind, 

 when we hook a pickerel, that his positions 

 from that time, are numerous, and that the 

 line is passed many times over his numer- 

 ous needlelike teeth while under great ten- 

 sion. The tension of the line adds to the 

 cutting capacity, or ease with which the 

 pickerel's teeth cut. the* strongest line. If 

 anyone will boldly insert his ringers in the 

 mouth of a live, fighting pickerel he will 

 be a convert to all of the foregoing, and un- 

 til he does that he undoubtedly will fail to 

 comprehend Mr. Wrighter's article. Fur- 

 thermore, it is well known that to avoid 

 the numerous cuttings of the line by the 

 pickerel's teeth man}' anglers use protec- 

 tive apparatus on the line, at the hook end, 

 such as wire or gimp. On the use of this 

 wire or gimp their trouble ceases. A few- 

 years ago, on Lake Poponoming, Monroe 

 county, Pennsylvania, 2 prominent Philadel- 

 phia gentlemen were fishing, when a large 

 rattlesnake swam out in the lake, presum- 

 ably to cross it. Their attention was first 

 called to the snake's performance by the 

 splashing made by a 5 l / 2 pound pickerel 

 which attacked the rattler. The 2 men 

 rowed up close to the combatants and from 

 their boat viewed the conflict. Eventually 

 the pickerel killed the rattler, and after the 

 snake was apparently dead, the pickerel con- 

 tinued tugging at the snake's carcass. 

 Gradually it became apparent to the 2 men 

 that the pickerel was growing weaker. Af- 

 ter a few minutes more he arose to the sur- 

 face and lay there quivering as if in a 

 spasm. Then he was dipped into the boat, 

 and the dead rattler also was dipped in. 

 The rattlesnake's skin was badly cut and 

 torn, and his body had received wounds 

 severe enough from the pickerel's teeth to 

 kill him. 



Both the pickerel and the rattler were 

 placed in a Philadelphia taxidermist's care, 

 and he mounted both specimens, which I 

 think are either in one of the gentlemen's 

 hands yet, or else have been given to a mu- 

 seum. 



M. L. Michael, North Watergap, Pa. 



In looking over the March issue of Rec- 

 reation I noticed the Munchausen yarn to 

 which Mr. Gordon Wrighter, of Kingston, 

 N. Y., signed his name. His wet bait must 

 have been fearful stuff ! I fished a few 

 days at Picatinny lake, Government Pow- 



