Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 197, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 August 1912 — WARY OLD BLACKSNAKE [ARTICLE]

WARY OLD BLACKSNAKE

GAVE NATURALIST A MERRY TIME BEFORE itg CAPTURE. Every Device, From Flight to Ope» Deflancd Resorted To— Finally Shaken From Tree Top It f Continues Resistance. A naturalist in Virginia encountered a desirable specimen of blacksnake which he wanted for his collection. A* usual in such cases the snake saw him first. It lay perfectly quiet, trusting to escape observation. Directly in front of the naturalise lay a wide open space. The naturalist knew that he could easily 'overtake the blacksnake before it could reach) the bushes opposite. The blacksnake. too, seemed to be cognizant of thia fact, inasmuch as the man had not taken half a dozen steps in its direction before it changed its tactics and. some ten feet away, turned andi charged its hunter. The man spread his legs and stoop, ed to catch the snake. But the blacksnake displayed such agility that before the hunter could determine just where to grasp it the snake was tea feet away. It was evident that the blacksnake expected the man to flee, as no doubt It had seen other men flee under such' circumstances. The snake was some seven feet In length and although quite harmless looked formidably enough to frighten the average man.; As its hunter did not flee the snaky turned about and agafh charged. Thiy time it swerved from its course when It saw that the man was standing his. ground. This deviation in the snake’s' rush got It into some hushes. Here it coiled after the manner of a rattlei snake. It elevated Its tail and vibrated It with great rapidity and, striking thy leaves and twigs, managed to producy a buzzing sound not unlike the warning of a rattler. At the same time it drew back Its head as if ready to strike. The man continued to advance; sothe snake once more changed its tactics. It began to doge in and out of! the bush. The maneuvering continued for perhaps ten minutes, > Then thy man, seeing a good opportunity, rushed forward to secure his prize. The blacksnake mounted through the bushes to their tops and went from the tops to the lower branches' of a small birch. It continued to mount upward and made its way to the swaying tip, some 15 feet in tho air, performing the feat as quickly asi a squirrel could have done It. From this elevated position thy blacksnake surveyed the man in triumph. But its exultation was short lived, for a vigorous shake of the trey brought it down, and as It fell upoji! the soft bed of leaves at the hunter’s 1 feet the man threw himself upon the serpent and succeeded in catching It.' Even then the blacksnake did notl lose its head, but by an unexpected! movement managed to fasten one of 1 its teeth in a finger, inflicting deep! scratches. The naturalist kept this snake so nearly two months. It proved to be the most intractable of blacksnakes.' Whenever the naturalist took It ini his hands it would exhibit much ini genuity in its attempts to escape.