Spring Not Far Distant
Men-Who-Saw-the-First-Robin Is Due at Any Hour.
As a sure “sign” that spring is nearly hare it is noticed that anale stories are beginning to appename has papers. Last year the feat snake story did not appear until early in March, this year the snake editor is quite active and brought forth the following in last Saturday’s State Republican:
Thomas Howe, a mason living at 608 Main St. w, and Walter Clark, also of this city, discovered an interesting family of snakes last Wednesday when they tracked a skunk to its hole about half a mile west of the Logan St. bridge on the south side of the river.
About eighteen inches under the surface, at a point near the river bank where a creek empties into the Grand, fourteen snakes were found in their stupid winter sleep. Aitde from several streaked saskes so commonly seen there were snakes of no ordinary variety. There were two milk snakes, one of them about two feet long; a spotted adder eighteen inches long, and besides there were three or four smaller ones of the same variety; there was one black water snake and another which Howe called a copper snake, and this was about eight inches long.
The reptiles wagged their heads slightly when turned out upon the ground, only one of them, the adder, being active enough to show any signs of viciousness at being disturbed. The snakes occupied a space of no more than four feet square, and they were separated by earth.
