We believe that we have seen a greater number of these reptiles, in our
various journeyings, and been more intensely frightened by them than any
other scenery-loving tourist or angler in the country, and hence the
idea of our present essay. We shall record our stock of information for
the benefit of the general reader, rather than for the learned and
scientific, beginning our remarks with what we know of the character of
that really beautiful and magnanimous, but most deadly animal, which was
adopted as the Revolutionary emblem of our country, as the eagle is now
the emblem of the Republic.
The rattlesnake derives its name from an instrument attached to its
tail, consisting of a series of hollow scaly pieces which, when shaken,
make a rattling or rustling noise. The number of these pieces or rattles
are said to correspond with the number of years which the animal has
attained, and some travelers assert that they have been discovered with
thirty rattles, though thirteen is a much more common number. It is one
of the most venomous of serpents, and yet one that we cannot but
respect, since it habitually makes the most honorable use of the
singular appendage with which it is gifted. It never strikes a foe
without first warning him of his danger. In form it is somewhat
corpulent, has a flat heart-shaped head, and is supplied with fangs,
varying from a half-inch to an inch in length, which lie hidden
horizontally in the flesh of the upper jaw, and are capable of being
thrown out like the blade of a knife. The venom emitted by it is so
deadly that it has been known to cause the death of a human being in a
very few hours, and to destroy a dog or cat in less than twenty minutes,
and yet we have met with some half-dozen individuals in our travels who
have been bitten by the rattlesnake without being seriously injured.
Horses and cattle are known to become exceedingly terrified at its
appearance, and generally speaking, when bitten, die in a short time,
and yet we once saw a horse, which was only troubled in consequence of
its bite, by a disease resembling the scurvy. The hair dropped from the
skin of the quadruped, and he looked horribly if he did not feel so. As
to the effect of this poison upon hogs, it has frequently been proven to
be perfectly harmless, and we know it to be the custom in certain
portions of the country for farmers to employ their swine for the
express purpose of destroying the rattlesnakes infesting their land. The
effect of the rattlesnake’s bite upon itself is said to be generally
fatal. In regard to the antidote of this poison we are acquainted with
only one, which is the plant commonly called the rattlesnake weed. Both
the leaf and the root are employed, and applied internally as well as
externally. This plant grows to the height of six or eight inches, has
one stock and a leaf resembling in shape the head of the rattlesnake,
and is almost invariably found in those sections of the country where
the reptile abounds.
The courage of the rattlesnake is by no means remarkable, and it is but
seldom that they will dispute the right of way with a man who is not
afraid of them. They are sluggish in their movements, and accomplish the
most of their traveling during the nocturnal hours. They feed upon
almost every variety of living creatures which they can overpower. They
are not partial to water, but when compelled to cross a river or lake,
they perform the feat in a most beautiful manner, holding their heads
about one foot from the surface, and gliding along at a rapid rate. They
are affectionate creatures, and it is alleged that when their offspring
are very young, and they are disturbed by the presence of man, the
mothers swallow their little ones until the danger is past, and then
disgorge them alive and writhing.
Another of their peculiarities consists in the fact, that they may be
entirely disarmed by brandishing over their heads the leaves of the
white ash, which are so obnoxious to their nervous system as to produce
the most painful contortions of the body. When traveling at night in
search of food, or for purposes of recreation, as it may be, they have a
fashion of visiting the encampments of hunters, and it has been
ascertained that the only way of keeping them at a respectable distance
is to encircle the camp with a rope, over which they are afraid to
crawl;—and it has frequently happened to hunters, in a snake country,
that on awaking after a night of repose, they have discovered on the
outside of their magic circle as many as a dozen of the charming
creatures, carefully coiled up and sound asleep. It is also related of
this snake that it has the power of throwing off or suppressing a
disagreeable effluvium, which is quite sickening to those who come
within its range. If this be true it occurs chiefly in the month of
August, when the weather is sultry and the snake is particularly fat.
That this snake has the power of _charming_, as some writers maintain,
may be true, but we know not of an authenticated instance. That it may
have a very quiet way of stealing upon its prey seems to us much more
plausible—but upon this fact we are non-committal. As to their power of
_hissing_—that also is an undecided question. In regard to their manner
of biting we can speak with more confidence. They never attack a man
without first coiling themselves in a graceful manner, and instead of
jumping they merely extend their bodies, with the quickness of thought,
towards their mark, and if they do not reach it, they have to coil
themselves again for a second effort, and when they hit a man at all, it
is generally on his heel, for the bruising of which they have the
authority of the Scriptures.
The rattlesnake is peculiar to the American continent. Four varieties
alone are known to naturalists, three of which are found in the United
States, and one in South America. In the States bordering on the Gulf of
Mexico they attain the length of seven and eight feet and a diameter of
three to four inches—the males having four fangs, and the females only
two. These are characterized by a kind of diamond figure on the skin,
and are partial to the low or bottom lands of the country. Those found
in the Middle and Northern States are called the common or banded
rattlesnakes, and are altogether the most abundant in the Union. They
vary in length from two and a half to four feet, and are partial to
mountainous and rocky districts. There is also a very small, but most
dangerous variety, called the ground rattlesnakes, which are found on
the sterile and sandy prairies of the West, and to a limited extent in
the barren districts of the South. In Canada they are almost unknown,
and even in the more thickly settled States of the Union they are
rapidly becoming extinct. As to their value, it may be stated that their
oil and gall are highly prized in all sections of the Union for
medicinal purposes, and by the Indians and slave population of the
South, their flesh is frequently employed as an article of food, and
really considered sweet and nourishing.
The attachment of the Aborigines to this famous reptile is proverbial:
among nearly all the tribes, even at the present day, it is seldom
disturbed, but is designated by the endearing epithet of _grandfather_.
It is recorded, however, by the early historians, that when one tribe
desired to challenge another to combat, they were in the habit of
sending into the midst of their enemy the skin of a rattlesnake, whereby
it would appear to have been employed as an emblem of revenge. And as to
the origin of the rattlesnake, the old men among the Cherokees relate a
legend to the following effect, which, the reader will notice, bears a
striking analogy to the history of our Saviour. A very beautiful young
man, with a white face and wrapped in a white robe, once made his
appearance in their nation, and commanded them to abandon all their old
customs and festivals, and to adopt a new religion. He made use of the
softest language, and everything that he did proved him to be a good
man. It so happened, however, that he could make no friends among them,
and the medicine men of the nation conspired to take away his life. In
many ways did they try to do this—by lashing him with serpents and by
giving him poison, but were always unsuccessful. But in process of time
the deed was accomplished and in the following manner. It was known that
the good stranger was in the habit of daily visiting a certain spring
for the purpose of quenching his thirst, and bathing his body. In view
of this fact, the magicians made a very beautiful war-club, inlaid with
bone and shells, and decorated with rattles, and this club they offered
to the Great Spirit, with the prayer that he would teach them how to
destroy the stranger. In answer to the prayer, a venomous snake was
created and carefully hidden under a leaf by the side of the spring. The
stranger, as usual, came there to drink, was bitten by the snake, and
perished. The Cherokee nation then fell in love with the snake, and
having asked the Great Spirit to distinguish it, by some peculiar mark,
from all the other snakes in the world, he complied by transferring to
its body the rattles which had made the club of sacrifice so musical to
the ear, and so beautiful to the eye. And from that rattlesnake are
descended all the poisonous snakes now scattered through the world.
We commenced this article with the determination of not writing a single
paragraph (for the above legend, after a fashion, is historical) which
could be classed with the unbelievable things called “Snake Stories,”
but the following matter-of-fact, though disconnected anecdotes, may not
be unacceptable to our readers.
We were once upon a fishing expedition among the mountains of North
Carolina, with two other gentlemen, when it so happened that we
concluded to spend the night in a deserted log cabin, belonging to one
of the party. By the light of a large fire, we partook of a cold but
comfortable supper, and after talking ourselves into a drowsy mood, we
huddled together on the floor, directly in front of the fireplace, and
were soon in a sound sleep. About midnight, when the fire was out, one
of the party was awakened by a singular rattling noise, and having
roused his companions, it was ascertained beyond a doubt that there were
two rattlesnakes within the room where they were lying. We arose, of
course, horrified at the idea, and as we were in total darkness, we were
afraid even to move for fear of being bitten. We soon managed, however,
to strike a light, and when we did so, we found one of our visitors on
the hearth, and one in the remotest corner of the room. We killed them,
as a matter of course, with a most hearty relish, and in the morning
another of the same race, just without the threshold of the cabin. The
reptiles had probably left the cabin just before our arrival, and on
returning at midnight, had expressed their displeasure at our intrusion
upon their abode, by sounding their rattles.
On another occasion we were of a party of anglers who killed a
rattlesnake on one of the mountains overlooking Lake George (where this
reptile is very abundant), and after its head had been cut off and
buried, one of the party affirmed that there was not a person present
who could take the dead snake in his hand, hold it out at arm’s length,
and give it a sudden squeeze, without dropping it to the ground. A wager
was offered, and by the most curious and courageous of the party was
accepted. He took the snake in his hand and obeyed the instructions,
when the serpentine body suddenly sprang as if endowed with life, and
the headless trunk struck the person holding it, with considerable force
upon the arm. To add that the snake fell to the ground most suddenly is
hardly necessary. We enjoyed a laugh at the expense of our ambitious
friend, but the phenomenon which he made known, remains to this day
entirely unexplained. Since that time we have been led to believe that
there is not one man in a thousand who would have the fortitude to
succeed in the experiment above mentioned.