Rattlesnakes

by J. Frank Dobie

Overview

Here are observations and speculations, legends and yarns, even gossip about the habits and dispositions of these extraordinary creatures—rattlesnakes—their reported size, deadliness, and power to charm their natural enemies. Here are descriptions of actual fights to the death between rattlesnakes and other animals and accounts of the strange experiences human beings have had with them, as well as tips on where to find them and how to act when you see one.

Dobie began systematically collecting lore about the rattlesnake world many years ago, using some of it in such regional publications as Southwest Review and incorporating much of it into essays—with the intention of eventually putting together a book about rattlesnakes. Now, in this collection of twenty-two articles, his wish is posthumously fulfilled.

Only Frank Dobie could tell of this fascinating and frightening creature with such wisdom and humor, thereby tempering "the age-old feud between the snake and man." And the rattlesnake—who once aroused fear among even the boldest men in the Old West—can at last be regarded with tolerance, respect, and even affection.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780292770232
Publisher:	University of Texas Press
Publication date:	01/01/1982
Series:	The J. Frank Dobie Paperback Library
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	207
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

J. Frank Dobie (1888–1964) was a folklorist and author of many books about Texas life and culture.

Table of Contents

• Rattlesnake Lore
• Some Rattlesnakes I've Associated With
• Being Casual with Rattlesnakes
• Snakes in the Corn Patch
• The Rattlesnake Hunter
• A Dissertation on Lying About Snakes
• Rattlesnakes and an Inferiority Complex
• Smelling Rattlesnakes on the Front Gallery
• Cat and Rattlesnake
• The Way of a Boy and a Girl with Rattlesnakes
• With Friendly Feelings for Rattlesnakes
• Rover the Rattlesnake Dog
• Rattlesnakes in Waters Quiet and Unquiet
• Between the Comanche and the Rattlesnake
• Snake-Killing Cats and Dogs
• A Bola of Rattlesnakes
• Do Rattlesnakes Swallow Their Young?
• Is the Bite of a Rattlesnake Fatal to Itself?
• The Mockingbird and the Rattlesnake
• The Eagle and the Serpent That Rattles
• Wild Gobbler and Rattlesnake Fight
• The Rattlesnake-Guarded Treasure