The Poisonous Snakes of Texas. 
39 
tained six large rattlers and one land tortoise. These were all coiled 
■separately. 
The four longest snakes that I ever killed and measured, were all killed 
in Calhoun County, and measured as follows: One male, six feet two 
inches; one female, six feet nine inches; one male, six feet ten inches; 
and one female six feet eleven inches. 
The rattler has three natural enemies, that are much dreaded by it, 
and which assist in keeping it in bounds. The Mexican eagle ( Cara - 
car a), the hog (wild and domestic), and the speckled kingsnake (Ophibo- 
lus getulus). 
The Mexican eagle is the foe of all snakes, and kills them for food. I 
have twice witnessed them destroy a rattler. In each case the snake 
was less than three feet long; and in each case the mode of attack was 
the same ; the eagle dropped to the ground near the snake, and when the 
snake straightened out to crawl away, the bird by a quick dart caught 
the snake by the neck with its claws, and with one stroke of its strong 
beak wrenched the head from the body. 
Hogs catch and eat rattlers without ceremony. In one instance a 
three foot snake was coiled under a bush. A gentle sow was following 
me; I passed the snake without seeing it; when the sow came opposite 
the snake she made a rush into the bush, and came out holding the snake 
by the middle; the snake bit her several times on the jowls, and it must 
have been painful, for she squealed lustily, but did not falter; she put 
her forefeet on the snake, and tore it in pieces and devoured it. When 
she attempted to pick up the head, though it had but an inch of the neck 
to it, it opened its mouth and caught the sow by the lip, and she had to 
use her feet to get it loose. In another instance, I saw two shoats trot- 
ting along, when they came upon a snake stretched across the path ; by 
mutual instinct they pounced on it, tore it to pieces, and devoured it in 
less time than it takes to write about it. Ho evil effects followed in 
either case. I could cite many more instances. 
The king snake ( Ophibolus getulus) seems to be able to rob the rattler 
of its power of resistance, as will be noted in the following account of a 
battle between them. It was in the spring of 1858, in Calhoun County; 
I heard the rattler’s challenge, or warning rattle, and going to the place 
I found in a clear space surrounded by brush and cacti two very large 
rattlers nearly six feet long each, coiled, with heads up and rattles sound- 
ing; they were looking in the opposite direction from me, and seemed 
more alarmed than angry; presently a small kingsnake, not more than 
half the length of the rattlers, glided out of the brush into the clear 
space. He came with head and part of his body raised and curved and 
waving from side to side; he approached the nearest rattler, alternately 
swelling and flattening his neck, crawled half way round the rattler, and 
