Sept. 13, 1888.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



143 



maternity. Sometimes (that is in some species) the young 

 are brought to maturity in the mother's body." This 

 snake comes out in the spring s s soon as the snow is fairly 

 off and the frost is out of the ground. Its color is then 

 a dull brownish black, and they are not very active; they 

 will often lie coiled and not move at the approach of man. 

 which, I think, is partly owing to the fact that their sight 

 is defective until after they have shed their skin. This 

 occurs in early summer, when their color assumes a clean 

 bluish black, and they flee instinctively from man's pres- 

 ence. They shed their skin in a single* piece, including a 

 scale from over their eyes, and the Cyclopaedia says, "by 

 a process of inversion and several times in a season," 

 which statement my observations do not fully bear out. 

 All fur-bearing animals shed their coats anuually , Bp of 

 all the feathered tribes; and, reasoning from analogy, my 

 conclusion is that the habit of the snake in this respect is 

 the same. As to the process of inversion, I have often 

 seen the skin of a snake in the grass or in the bushes 

 lying just as a snake would lie. If by inversion means 

 that the skin is turned the other side out, it would seem 

 that the skin must be loosened at the head and secured 

 to something that would hold it, while the snake: moves 

 forward turning the skin backward, like turning a stock- 

 ing off from a person's leg. I have seen a silkworm shed 

 its Rkin, which was not by the process of inversion. My 

 conclusions are solely from observation, and I would not 

 be understood as taking issue with the authorities on that 

 subject. 



I have never seen anything to incline me to the belief 

 that blaeksnakes attack people. They always show a dis- 

 position to place distance between me and them. Mr. 

 Thrall, before mentioned, says he has seen thousands of 

 them, and they always flee; and that he never saw a 

 young snake accompanying an old one. A gentleman 

 living in Bloomfield told me that blaeksnakes came an- 

 nually from the plains to a sand blow in the rear of his 

 barn to deposit their eggs, and that in one year he cap- 

 tured fifteen. They always flee. He never saw a young 

 one with an old one. Several men, some of whom I can 

 name, have told me that they have seen an old one 

 swallow its young. My reply to them was, "Then you 

 have seen a hungry snake taking its food, for they never 

 swallow them for any other purpose." There is no 

 question but that one* species of snake will feed upon 

 another species, and why not on their own young. The 

 following is taken from the Hartford Courant, of Aug. 

 16, 1879: 



L. M. Reed, while mowing ou the farm of Herman Corhin in 

 Union the other day, saw a large blacksnake, which he killed. 

 On opening it a lartje striped snake was discovered, and on open- 

 ing this seventy-nine small striped snakes, about Gin. in lencth, 

 were brought to light. The blacksnake had swallowed eighty 

 striped snakes at, once. 



Perhaps the striped snake went there for protection, 

 for she was certainly in a very safe place. I have never- 

 met with the person who said he had seen an old snake 

 accompanying its young except those who say they have 

 seen th em swallow them. If an accredited student of 

 natural history will furnish an authenticated case of 

 young serpents taking refuge in their mother's mouth I 

 will accept it as a fact. 



Blaeksnakes always feed on live prey and possess a 

 power over their prey that is truly -wonderful, and I 

 think that birds, old 'and young, are their main depend- 

 ance for food — old birds are captured bv them with ease. 

 I captured a snake nearly 5ft. long that had a full-fledged 

 song sparrow in its body about Gin. from its head. I 

 have on several occasions seen birds acting strangely 

 about some spot in the bushes and on investigation found 

 a snake was the center of attraction, and in two in- 

 stances have captured the snake. I was once in a hay 

 field with several men, adjoining a lot where the hay 

 had been removed, which was separated from us by a 

 stonewall. We heard a bobolink making a peculiar chat- 

 tering noise, and on looking over the wall to know the 

 cause, we saw the bird with half spread and drooping 

 wings, stepping right and left just in front of and facing 

 a blacksnake, which was gently moving toward it, with 

 its head raised and occasionally darting forward, almost 

 striking it. One of the party sprang over the wall and 

 tried to kill the snake, but he escaped to the wall. After 

 a short time we heard the bird again discoursing the 

 same music, and on looking, we saw the snake and bird 

 going through with the same performance, when two of 

 the party sprang over the wall and captured the snake. 

 I have sometimes felt a regret that we did not remain 

 passive and witness the result. They feed ou any kind of 

 live prey that is within their capacity, and have been 

 caught with a young rabbit in their body. They also 

 are successful hunters of buds' nests for the young birds, 

 and will climb trees in their search. I was once near 

 an orchard when I heard robins making a great outcry, 

 evidently disturbed by something. I went to see the 

 cause and discovered a large blacksnake at their nest in 

 an apple tree about 15ft. from the ground. The tree was 

 about lft. in diameter and 7 or 8ft. up to the branches. 

 The branch on which the nest was, stood off at an angle 

 of about forty-five degrees. When the snake saw me he 

 glided down on the topside of the branch, and when he 

 reached the trunk he slid off and droppea to the ground. 

 In his mouth was a young bird partly swallowed, which 

 proved such a clog to him that he could not run rapidly 

 in the grass and I captured him. A Mr. Green in Tolland 

 county tells me he witnessed just such a scene. 



Many stories are told of their chasing people. I have 

 seen persons who claim to have been chased by them, and 

 sometimes it was by a racer, a black snake with a white 

 ring around its neck. I never saw a snake of that de- 

 scription, and I know of no authority claiming the exist- 

 ence of such a snake. A blacksnake five or six feet long- 

 can outrun a man. Their speed I have repeatedly wit- 

 nessed, wheu they have escaped from me. Now if they 

 chase people, why do they not catch them ? and if they 

 should catch a person, what could they do with them? 

 Certainly they could not use them as foo'd. It is singular 

 that so many persons have been chased by them and yet 

 no instance has been reported where they have been 

 caught. 



The racer, described as a black snake with a white ring 

 around its neck, exists only in the imagination of fright- 

 ened people. It has no place in natural history, and yet 

 I have known several persons who claim to have been 

 chased by them, and were just as sure of the white ring 

 as they were of being chased. I have seen, however, a 

 small black snake with yellow belly and yellow or buff 

 stripe across the back of the head, but this species are 

 never more than about a foot long. I can imagine how 



timid persons may be startled by a snake and think they 

 were chased by it. 



I was once walking in a pasture on the eastern slope of 

 Talcott Mountain, when I discovered a large black one 

 coming directly toward me. The snake seems to have been 

 traveling about his own business and did not discover me 

 until he approached within eight or ten yards, when ho 

 stopped. I immediately started for him, and then there 

 was a chase in another direction ; but he was too smart 

 for me; running faster than I could he made his escape. 

 If I had been timid and retreated when I first saw it I 

 might have supposed, and honestly supposed, that I had 

 been chased by a snake: and as a snake moves with its 

 head raised, being lighter color under the neck, I might 

 have imagined that it was a racer with a white ring. 



I have heard the absurd claim that a snake might be 

 cut in two in its middle, and the parts would get together 

 and unite, making a whole sound snake again. A gentle- 

 man of more than ordinary intelligence, and who had 

 enjoyed rare opportunities for acquiring information, 

 once told me that he knew a well authenticated case 

 where a snake had been severed in the middle and was 

 the same day seen crawling, having been united and 

 grown together. I said to him, such a thing is not 

 possible, a snake has intestines and a spinal column, and 

 to sever it iu the middle would be as fatal to it as to any 

 form of animal life, and that it was probably another 

 snake seen. He said no, it was on the highway; the 

 snake was cut iu two and one-half was thrown to each 

 side of the road. When seen afterward it was identified 

 by the scar where it had been united. 



In the Hartford Courant of July 20, 1886, a correspond- 

 ent from Canton says: "There is a land holder here who 

 never molests the blaeksnakes in his fields. He wishes 

 to keep them for the purpose of destroying the mice and 

 moles infesting his fields. He claims that they do no 

 harm, and should be allowed to go around without inter- 

 ference." I should like to know the name of that land 

 owner. I would go some distance to shake hands with 

 him. He is the second man whom I have ever heard of 

 who seemed to think the blacksnake had rights which 

 should be respected. I have understood that the late 

 Mr. R. C. Osborne, who resided in Newington, entertained 

 the same merciful regard for them. 



Singular as it may seem, blaeksnakes are sometimes 

 found crawling in winter. Many years ago a gentleman, 

 perfectly trustworthy, told me that he captured one in 

 Willington after a thaw in January. A Doctor Tracy, 

 some years since, captured one in Canterbury crawling 

 on the snow in the month of February, and carried it to 

 a neighboring house and exhibited it to the family, who 

 were my informants. The Hartford Courant published 

 an item early in January, 1886, stating that Henry Bocks, 

 a trustworthy resident of Morris, while passing along the 

 highway in that town on the 2d inst., captured a black- 

 snake 5ft. long crawling along in the wheel rat. 



Early in the spring of 1873 I was with a party in the 

 northwest part of this town near Cottage Grove. There 

 had been some warm days and the ground had been bare 

 of snow. On the day previous there had been a fall of 

 snow of several inches in depth , and that morning it was 

 frozen quite crisp. In passing we came on a blacksnake 

 lying on the suovv; on attempting to move it we found its 

 head for some inches was under the snow, perhaps in the 

 ground. One of the party took it up in his hand. It 

 would wriggle some, turn its head and scan our party, 

 but was too stupid to crawl much. From these facts I 

 infer that they do not all find satisfactory burrows in the 

 fall, and sometimes in winter start out in pursuit of better 

 quarters. 



THE RATTLESNAKE. 



1 have never seen one, except in captivity, but have 

 read of them , and never felt a desire to make a more in- 

 timate acquaintance. All authors with whom I am con- 

 versant, say that when they prepare for an attack they 

 coil themselves up and jump their length, striking at 

 their victim. If they are resting in a coil and are sud- 

 denly disturbed, they will doubtless strike as far as they 

 can; but if they rattle and have time to place themselves 

 in a position to attack, or to resist an attack, it occur? to 

 me that it would be natural for them to crumple rather 

 than coil themselves. 



I have seen the watersnake, a vicious, repulsive-look- 

 ing reptile (and in its proportion it very well represents 

 the rattlesnake), captured without injury, and when 

 teased by being poked with a stick, it would crumple 

 itself up in zigzag folds, each fold drawn back against 

 its fellow, and from that position it would jump, straight- 

 ening itself out to strike at a stick, which was done very 

 spitefully. It occurred to me that a rattler would natur- 

 ally take that position, then the tail would furnish a 

 natural fulcrum, so to speak, from which to spring, 

 which a coil does not furnish. If a leather strap is 

 wound in a coil and a person takes the ends in each hand 

 and straightens it out, he will find just as many twists in 

 it as there were coils. Thus the snake must possess a 

 peculiar science, or in springing from a coil its body 

 would become twisted. But from observation I can say 

 nothing. 



Dr. Holbrook says, "With the rattlesnake, as with all 

 venomous serpents, the young are matured in the mother's 

 body." In this other authors agree. In the Hartford 

 Courant of Aug. 31, 1876, the following article appeared: 



"Northeield.— We thought we were telling something of a 

 snake story last summer of a rattlesnake being killed with 35 

 young fry inside; but not long ago another rattlesnake was killed 

 with 87 young snakes inside, and within two weeks two very large 

 streaked snakes have been slaughtered, the one containing 60 and 

 the other 70 young." 



In the Hartford Courant published in September, 1839, 

 an article appeared from which the following is taken : 

 ' 'At the museum in Baltimore a rattlesnake gave birth to 

 young in her cage, she having been captured about two 

 mouths previous. The young ones were about six inches 

 long." There also appeared an article in a paper not long- 

 since giving an account of one being captured in Vermont, 

 and its body was found to contain more than seventy 

 young ones. 



ADDERS. 



Of adders I have but little to say. They are a lazy, 

 slow-moving snake, and are not as common as some other 

 species. I have seen them between 4 and 5ft. in length, 

 and if they were not snakes would be called handsome. 

 They lay eggs like the blacksnake, about the same num- 

 ber and in the same way. On the 17th of August some 

 years since I uncovered a nest of them, and on opening 

 the eggs the young would crawl. I think, as a rale, they 

 mature about the 1st of September. 



THE GREENSNAKE. 



There is a small greensnake found in the grass, from 

 1 to 2ft. in length. I should say that I have never seen 

 one 3ft. long. I think they are oviparous, having found 

 eggs supposed to be theirs. It has a peculiar head, being 

 as round as the end of a person's finger, and their neck is 

 nearer the size of their body than most species. If they 

 would remain motionless in the grass they would but 

 rarely be seen; they are very insignificant. 



Another small snake is known as the groundsnake; it is 

 of copper color, and seldom more than one foot in length. 

 I have sometimes seen them in this city creeping on the 

 walks. They are viviparous, as I know from my own 

 observation, having found them with their young in July. 



Of the snakes generally it has been said 'that they will 

 freeze up in winter, and thaw out alive and active in 

 the spring. That is the kind that will bear being cut 

 m two m the middle and the next day be well whole 

 snakes. They hibernate in winter, and perhaps do not 

 always get below the regions of frost, but I think they 

 possess a principle of life which to some extent will resist 

 the frost, and doubtless some perish. 



The young of the striped and groundsnakes evidentlv 

 mature about a month earlier than the other species 1 

 have noticed. Perhaps they require less time. 



Dr. Holbrook, whom I regard as authority on that sub- 

 ject, says: "The young of serpents are matured in about 

 three months from the period or time of copulation." 



Hartford, Conn . N. ST ARKWEATHER. 



WHITE BUFFALO. 



/^ARDEN CITY, Kan., Sept. 3.— Editor Forest and 

 Stream: In your issue of the 30th ult., was given 

 Mi-. J. E. Hendry's description of a white buffalo killed 

 by Indians near the Canadian line. I have seen four 

 specimens of what I believed to be white buffalo. One 

 was a yearling and was killed in this State on the U. P. 

 R. R., and was mounted for the Agricultural Rooms of 

 Topeka, Kan., where it can yet be seen, although it has 

 become somewhat dilapidated. The other three were in 

 No Man's Land, between Kansas and Texas. They were 

 in a small herd of buffalo and were one. two and three 

 years old respectively. There was a spotted Texas cow 

 with them nearly white; they became terribly frightened 

 when I rode over a small ridge within 500yds of them 

 and ran as far as I could see them. I had no gun with 

 me, and my pony was so run down I could not catch one 

 with my rope. It was a "bitter pill" for me. as I wanted 

 to catch one "so bad I could nearly taste it." 



Now I will tell you what a white buffalo is. It is noth- 

 ing more nor less than a cross between a buffalo bull and 

 a domestic cow. To prove it I herewith send you a pho- 

 tograph of a half-breed ten months calf, which answers 

 the description of all the white buffalo ever heard of. 

 They are smoky white or silver tip; and the robe is always 

 equal to tKe beautiful one Mr. Hendry described, and 

 they will be the coming robes for our northern climate. 



I have bred one hundred domestic cows to my buffalo 

 bulls this year and expect a fine lot of calves next spring, 

 equal in beauty and hardiness to the wonder of ages past. 



C. J. Jones. 



Reptile Specimens Wanted.— Zoological Society of 

 Philadelphia.— Editor Forest and Stream: I have been 

 busy all summer making alterations and enlargements to 

 our reptile house, and will shortly have, I think, one of 

 the best in the world. The house, as altered, will consist 

 of a center 36ft. square, with two wings on opposing sides, 

 each 28ft.x32ft., making the whole building 92ft. long. 

 The wings have semi-circular ends and are modified con- 

 servatories, and in one of them I am going to try the ex- 

 periment of keeping the Boida? and Colubridse — tree 

 climbing snakes — on the natural surface of the earth, with 

 water, mosses, ferns and shrubs, as under nature. It will 

 require a constant flow of specimens of reptilia and 

 batrachia of all kinds to keep up a good collection, and 

 just now, while I am collecting, as far as possible, from 

 everywhere, to open in a few weeks with a good repre- 

 sentation of our native species, we particularly want 

 them. Without doubt very many would be sent to us by 

 lovers of zoology if they knew of it, and I can conceive 

 of no better way to reach them than through Forest and 

 Stream. Can I enlist your sympathies enough to ask 

 you to give us in your next number a brief notice of our 

 new house and suggest our want of specimens. We, of 

 course, would pay all expense of shipment and often 

 purchase rare or valuable specimens. — Arthur Erwin 

 Brown. 



A Cat and Her Chickens.— Dalston, near Carlisle, 

 Eng. — Editor Forest and Stream: Although I am living 

 at such a distance from New York I sometimes manage 

 to get hold of Forest and Stream, in which I have seen 

 a good many very interesting articles. Thinking that a 

 curious freak of nature would interest some of my Yan- 

 kee friends, I give the following particulars. A gentle- 

 man living here has a favorite cat that spends a good 

 deal of her time in a cosy old armchair. Her owner- 

 last May put four hen eggs into the chair by way of 

 seeing what puss would do with them in order to make 

 her bed more comfortable. Strange as it may appear, 

 puss took kindly to the eggs and in due time hatched 

 four fine chickens. For weeks after the chickens were 

 hatched she licked them all over every day with hei tongue, 

 caressed and fondled with them as much as if they had 

 been her own kittens. Whenever the chickens strayed 

 from the nursery she carried them back in her mouth as 

 if they had been made of the finest of glass. A photo- 

 graph of puss nursing her little darlings can be seen at 

 Mrs. Warners, 136 Wyckoff street, near Hoyt street, 

 Brooklyn. — Dalst on Black Reed. 



Recent Arrivals at Philadelphia Zoological Garden.— 

 Purchased— Two Capromys (Capromys pilorides), one brown spider 

 monkey (Ateles ater), two coyotes, S and s (Canis latrans), two 

 gray foxes (Vulpes cinereo-argentatus), one leopard, $ (Felia 

 parans), one scarlet tanager (Pyranga rubra), one Cuban parrot 

 iChrysotis leucocephalus), two Hutcbin's geese (B. canadensis 

 butebinsii), two wbite-fronted geese (Anser cierulescens), two 

 snow geese (Anser byperboreus), three blue-winged teal (Quer- 

 quedula discors), one crimson-eared lincb (Estrelda phcenicotis), 

 three tree boas (Epicrates angulifer), five boa constrictors (Boa 

 constrictor), three copperheads (Ancistrodon contortrix), one 

 anaconda (Eunectes murinus). Presented— One hare (Lepus eu- 

 ropasus), one gray-beaded love bird ( Agapornis cana), one Acadian 

 owl (Nyctale acaflica), four painted terrapins (Chrysemys picta), 

 one speckled terrapin (Cbelopus muhlenbergii), one musk turtle 

 (Aromocbelys odoratus), one land tortoise (Oistudo clausa), two 

 alligators (Alligator mississippiensis), one Gila monster (Helo- 

 derma suspectum), and five spotted salamanders (Salamandra ma- 

 culosa). Born in the Garden— One Indian antelope (Antilope 

 cervicapra), three muskrats (Fiber zibetbicus), one brusb-tailed 

 kangaroo (Petrogale penicillata), and four copperheads (Ancistro- 

 don contortrix). 



