Texas Nature Observations and Reminiscences Page: 13 of 322
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TEXAS NATURE OBSERVATIONS AND REMINISCENCES. 13
ago. During an outing with a stick to camp, we all guessed what
number of friends last fall along it might have in its stomach,
the San Antonio River, below San some guessed it was a frog, others
Antonio, one of our party, whilst said it was a toad, and a lady
getting ready to put his fishing naturalist of our party suggested
line into the water, was surprised a rat. On opening its abdomen,
by a rustling among the leaves and we immediately saw that our lady
shrubbery along the river bottom, naturalist had guessed correctly,
and upon closer search, one of for it contained a full-size waterrat.
The photo in the second last
row, shows the same small moccasin
with the rat exposed in its
stomach. Near the neck-part of
the snake, which was split open
from the severe blow, the photo
shows the tail of the rat protruding
outside.
As to the various types of the
Texas tarantula spider, much superstition
and ignorance still exists.
the multi-colored kingsnakes wa s As a rule, they are quite as harmless
seen battling with another variety as many other poisonous animals,
of prairie snake. It had the other if not annoyed or incidentally
snake in its mouth, and had touched. A detailed account of our
nearly entirely swallowed it. At Texas prairie spiders has been pubanother
outing, near the same lished some years ago by the writer
fishing place about a mile below inTexas Field, which will be found
the Mission Espada, we came across on the following pages. The small jet
a very large kingsnake, which had black and reddish-striped jumping
in its mouth and throat a young tarantula, encountered occasionally
kingsnake, and we were in doubt in gardens and forests, is about the
whether this latter instance was most dangerous type to be encouna
case of protection of its offspring, tered, and the writer could cite sevor,
as with the other specimen, eral serious but not fatal, cases of
a case of cannibalism. Both of venom-inoculation from these inthese
snakes were photographed, sects. One large type of tarantula,
and one of the views is the second rarely met with in these days
one on the lower row seen in the in inhabited places, but occasionally
miniature photo collection. Dur
encountered in open prairies, where
ing that same day of our out
they sometimes move in large
ing, whilst getting a bucket of colonies, is seen depicted in the
water from a spring close to a third row of the collection. This
ravine near the river, I met a same huge tarantula was captured
moccasin about one and a half by Private A. F. Denton, U. S.
feet long in my path, and the Army, in camp near Fort McInsnake
at once showed fight by tosh, Texas, and Mr. Denton sent
thrusting its head upward with the animal alive to San Antonio,
wide-open mouth. This genuine where pictures of same were taken
moccasin of the "cotton-mouth" by Wm. Stucke, Dr. A. Lange,
variety, when first seen was of Veterinary Surgeon, and myself,
unusual thickness, and therefore and I submit one of the photos on
I was the more anxious to kill page 15 showing the monster tarit,
to note what it had swallowed. antula in front of the rat it killed.
With a stick and heavy blow, I (The photo being taken in the
nearly severed its head from its sunlight through the glass panel
body, and bringing it on a forked of the box at close range). In
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Menger, Rudolph. Texas Nature Observations and Reminiscences, book, 1913; San Antonio, Tex.. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth14396/m1/13/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.