CREATURES OF MYSTERY 
63 
several times its normal size, and the little fellows came slith¬ 
ering into her stomach just as though they were entering a hole 
in the ground. Having the little ones securely tucked away 
inside her she made ready for the battle in which she realized 
she would soon be engaged. 
Procuring a suitable stick I struck her with violence, but did 
not inflict a fatal blow the first time. To my surprise, she 
heaved a time or two and rolled them all out upon the ground. 
When I had finished with the task of killing the mother I 
counted the little ones, and the above statement as to the num¬ 
ber of them was verified by counting them again. They were 
about seven inches in length. 
(Signed) Jno. S. Gibson, 
Prosecuting Attorney for the State of Georgia, 
Waycross Judicial Circuit. 
Sworn to and subscribed before me this, May 27, 1940. 
(Signed) M. L. Preston, Notary Public, State of Georgia, 
State at Large. (Seal) 
I had occasion to question a third observer of this particular 
occurrence, and admit my own surprise on learning that the 
mother rattler did not employ exactly the same tactics on either 
of the three occasions. This observer stated that she employed 
her rattles as a means of attracting the attention of the young, 
not whirring them volently, but by a single click at the time 
making a noise somewhat resembling a hen calling her brood— 
“chick-chick-chick-chick.” Such, however, should not be em¬ 
ployed for the purpose of impeaching the testimony of the 
other two witnesses. It rather confirms what has been related 
hereinbefore, namely, that the rattler’s storehouse of tricks 
seems never to be completely exhausted. 
In the light of this testimony it would seem that men of 
science should abandon their present contention, unless they 
be literally obsessed with a passion for bolstering up tottering 
theories. When we came into possession of this valuable in¬ 
formation we stood convinced that similar stories filtering in 
to us all through life were likewise true. There is little wonder 
that such stories are universally denied, since it is very doubt- 
