Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 86, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 July 1909 — SNAKES AND VIPERS ARE DELIGHT OF NATURALIST. [ARTICLE]

SNAKES AND VIPERS ARE DELIGHT OF NATURALIST.

“Charlie’* Spriggs Shows An Oklahoma Reporter His Collection of Snakes, Birds and Insects. Nearly all dur readers will remember R. W. Spriggs, former Janitor of the Rensselaer public schools, practical joker and lover of snakes, birds and insects. If an unusual specimen of snake, insect or bird was found, it was always taken to Charlie. And if a snake was discovered in a teacher’s desk when she opened it in the morning, suspicion always fell on him as the perpetrator. He moved to Oklahoma City a few years ago and is now doing a large contracting business in the ornamental tile line, but evidently he has not forgotten his love for snakes and rare specimens of birds and insects. An Oklahoma City reporter hunted him up a few days ago and after an interview the following article appeared in hi^paper: Did you ever deliberately pull off your shoes and “sock it” all defenseless and unarmed along a country road because you met a tarantula therein? Well, and did you ever even remove one of your socks when you met one of those playful little animals (or insects, is it?) in the road, and stoop down and cajole the hairy, poisonous chap to wander into that sock and then “tote” him home with nothing between his venomous bite and your hand but a sock—a thin and open worked sock? Well, that is what one of Oklahoma City’s enthusiastic scientists did. R. W. Spriggs, of 1437 West Seventeenth street, right near Epworth university, has a most interesting collection of reptiles, insects, birds and butterflies. ' >

“How did you get along with His Majesty, The Snake?” was asked Mr. Spriggs, who knows about that old •chap thoroughly. “0, all right,” was the unconcerned reply. “You get interested, you know, and then you don’t think of his bite. Besides you can tell from his color and the Bhape of his head whether that particular fellow who is looming up before you is poisonous or not. The name signifies nothing. A certain breed of vipers—a name which would terrify a child and many grown ups —is only a tremendous bluffer. “There’s a water moccasin which is as harmless as a kindergarten picnic under the trees. “I was leaning out from a bank over a pool of water one time and busy watching the bottom of the pool when, pop! the green head of a snake was thrust out of the water almost into my face, which was very close to it. I saw instantly by color and shape that the snake was harmless. I reached into the water and scooped him out at a stroke. He didn't like it—but he bad no means of defense so he took it philosophically. “One time I was working in the started myoollectlon of insects and reptiles years be-

fore and was greatly interested in the study. I went to pick up my coat and felt something cold on my hand. Looking down I saw a huge centipede which had crawled into that coat. I hurriedly wrapped up the coat with the interesting specimen inside and so got him into the house and finally into this bottle—” And Mr. Spriggs showed an interesting specimen which would give a heavyweight thfe “creeps” if it were on his back with all legs going. “Beautiful hat pins can be made out of the baby horned toads, which when mounted prettily are quite attractive and unusual,” went on this enthusiast. “I made some for my daughter, whose friends did not understand, • and kept telling her that there was something—something on her h-hat. She laughed at them. “And a bull snake skin or a rattler’s makes a handsome lady’s belt or a necktie for men. Back east I got these both on the market—hat pins and belts.” . The Spriggs residence is a veritable museum, with no end of brilliant? bits of plumage from handsome and unusual birds which Mr. Spriggs has mounted from time to time. From the immense two-year-old bald eagle of America to the tiny humming bird, from the rarest of butterflies to the montrosity called white blackbird, it is all intensely interesting, this collection which has cost years of work and labor of mounting. “The state of Oklahoma has 75 different birds,” said Mr. Spriggs, “while Indiana, my former state, has but 60 different kinds.” Two popular fancies he demolished, speaking from the certainty of actual investigation. " "The porcupine does not throw his quills. He is able to slash and cut with.his tail which has even heavier quills on it than the back, but is otherwise a defensive fighter entirely. “And the joint snake sa-called, does not, after being cut in two or three pieces, gather itself together again piece by piece. But if a portion of its tail is cut off, it will grow a new body there in a remarkably short period of time.”