20 
CREATURES OF MYSTERY 
of which we have any knowledge has ever spent much time in 
these lonely spots where he is to be found, but on the contrary 
have made practically all their observations of him at times 
when he knew well that he was being watched. It is far from 
his practice to utter his mating call when he has company, and 
especially if it be the human kind. In the first place, when a 
rattler is confined in some public park, and his mate was also 
caught and brought along with him, then nothing is to be 
gained by uttering his mating call. If, in the process of his 
capture and removal from his native habitat the couple are 
separated by long distances, then surely he senses such fact and 
for perfectly good reasons would not utter a sound. Their 
protective instinct is so keen that in the wild state they would 
not dare chirp if they sensed the presence of any human being, 
so that it becomes all but impossible to both see and hear them 
at the same time. For generations and generations rural resi¬ 
dents of the Southern states have doubtless heard this same 
call, but passed by, supposing that it was the call of some shy 
and unknown nocturnal bird or small animal. 
When one of these dread reptiles has bitten some animal or 
person, people living adjacent to the spot where the tragic in¬ 
cident occurred are so filled with horror that they shun the 
place for days and weeks. As long as they live they will remem¬ 
ber the incident, and will point out the place to friends and 
passersby. If he was not destroyed at the time of the tragedy 
they know he is still at large in the community, and they will 
exercise every possible precaution, when going places they 
think he might be found. The opinion is universal that he 
leaves the spot without loss of time, but the exact reverse 
happens to be true. He finds a secluded spot only a few feet 
away where he coils up and remains for practically a week. 
This was learned through the application of the trial and error 
method. When such tragedies occurred friends would appeal 
to Uncle Dave. On the first such call he had a feeling that it 
was useless, but out of respect to the family went and con¬ 
ducted a diligent search. He even surprised himself—he found 
the reptile and slew him. Gradually he extended the period, 
finding them on a few occasions on the sixth day, but never on 
