Texas Nature Observations and Reminiscenses Page: 154
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154 TEXAS NATURE OBSERVATIONS AND REMINISCENCES.
Also, an intimate friend, I
Hon. John Wickeland (lately
prominent City Alderman of Sant
Antonio, and formerly owner of a
large cattle ranch and pastures at
the Martinez settlement) some few
years ago, during a dispute
whether the rattler "swallows"
its young in danger time, sent me,
by request, the following interest-
ing letter, and his observations are
absolutely reliable:
"Answering your request, I w il
make the following statement:
About fifteen years ago, while 1
was driving some cattle with a
German neighbor, Adolph Real.
Sr., we were stopping on a hill to
cook our dinner. I went to a trash
pile for some kindling wood and
noticed a number of young snakes,
about eight or ten inches long, dis-
appearing in the trash; and heard
a rattlesnake rattle. After start-
ing the fire I set fire to the pile,
and both of us watched it. In a
short while a big rattlesnake ap-
peared, which I killed. At the same
time a second one came out, which
Mr. Real killed, and still another
came out, which was also killed,
making three in all. Each one was
about three to three i'd one-half
feet long and extraordinarily
thick, which induced me to cut
them open with my knife. We
found eighteen youne ones in the
first, eight in the second, and
twenty-two in the third, making
forty-eight young snakes. Each
one tried to escape, lbut we killed
them all. Each one had a little
rattle at the end of its tail, and
also tried to bite at us.
About thirty-nine years ago, in
1862, shortly after starting in the
sheep business, I was herding the
flock myself, and one day met a
snake apparently asleep, with a
number of young ones around her,
when all of a sudden they noticed
me and disappeared through the
old snake's mouth, and after kill-
ing her I found them inside."
About the largest rattlesnake Ihave seen in nature, was near a
ranch , north of the Ielotes, in a
picturesque and hilly region, at
the farm of a Mexican Cavallero.
It was later seen dangling-strung
up with some fence wire-high
up on the cross-bar of a high pas-
ture o'ate. In this position ,and
after the Mexican had posted him-
self for "un retrato c n bibora de
cascavel" close behind the huge
snake, the photograph seen repro-
duced herein was prepared (luck-
ily, having a trusted camera with
me, at this occasion). In the rear
of this view is seen a small adobe
house, used at the time as a coun-
try store, post-office and tele-
phone station. (26 miles northwest
of San Antonio) close to the Ban-
dera road, and iii close proximity
of a two story dwelling house,
which, by the way, was built by
the Mexican himself, of hard rock
and adobe, in 1865; and it is stand-
there to this day, undisturbed,
close to a large corn field and
pecan grove, and a fine rivulet.
surrounded by evergreen forests
and most pisturesli~e mountain
sceneries of the old (lerot ito val-
ley regions and trhe famous Gal-
lagher cattle ranch districts.
The monstrous reptile, depicted,
iust have been a very old speci-
men of olden days, and the Mexi-
can (a well educated and english
speaking man) told nce such old
reptiles were about exterminated
nowadays, and those left are
usually encountered only in their
remote jungle haunts; or in old-
fashioned farm fences-where this
rare spesimen also was killed.
Some of this snake's head parts,
and parts of its body were some-
what mutilated; but the jaws and
other parts were intact, and
showed on closer inspection, sev-
eral enormous large poison fangs,
and correspondingly large venom
bladders. Later the fine orna-
mented skin of this snake was
tanned and sold by the Mexican
to a local reptile establishment.
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Menger, R. Texas Nature Observations and Reminiscenses, book, 1913; San Antonio, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth143558/m1/158/?q=menger: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting University of Texas Health Science Center Libraries.