The Sun.
London, England, 1824-09-02 00:00:00

THE SERPENTS IN THE TOWER.

•
The public, wo—believel are not genera/15:
aware of the existence in the Royal Menagerie at the 'row° °'
a very fine collection of that species of snake called the boa o°4
e for
strictor. We were induced to attend there on Monday 10- ,
Ptieri
the purpose of being witness to the mode in which these aniotali
receive their sustenance, and to discover how far the deaclthrir;
given by various authors of their manner of disposing of
0.0
prey tallies with what might actually occur under our
(La
observation. The animal selected by the keeper for the 13,Prrii,
was the largest there, and measured, we believe, ten 'cc', to
length, and 7 inches in diameter in its thickest part. Previll,out
receiving its prey, it appeared very lively, and peered aual,
with its head in all directions, occasioning its body.to lo
those beautiful curvations of which the snake species. trethe•
capable. On perceiving the approach of the keeper we-90(4
rabbit destined for its meal, it withdrew all appearat, ip
vigour and motion; but the moment the rabbit was Olacc,rop,
the cage, it seized its head with so astonishingly rapid
that the eye could not keep pace with it, and by a sunuhrliot
action of its body, is compressed its folds so tightly round "Ws
the rabbit as to crush every bone that was within its grasP: gitio
rapid change was nervous to behold, and a vivid iniagin,,
could not but picture to itself the fearful scene of cru,
and struggling which the seizure of such an animal as
or an ox would create by a larger animal of this 6,.Ppeeca wit"
That such scenes have occurred, and have likewise,'""voisiee
nessed, we doubt not ; but until we witnessed th.e
but ineffectual struggles of the unfortunate rabbit-in • our con-
ous and gnarled grasp of the serpent on this occaaj°,l;4.. witched'
ception reached no farther than the common helle' foil; '
to the relation of the tremendous powers of this speciO°
To enable the snake to gorge his prey with the gfe,a„trnfrolf_at
he was removed into the court-yard, when the gl't"",intet'-
sun.beams upon hit purple scales added much to 1"e
and beauty of the spectacle. When the rabbit Was ta"
the snake gradually loosened its folds, still retaining., of 'Jill
by the head ; and timing ful ascertained the dee"' 00
victim, he proceeded to stretch the body.of the rabbit' bead
he very curiously performed, in drawing It by thethis he
through a ring formed. from the folds of its body.ctd
repeated until the whole was a ma,S. After lubricallI:01.
head very much, but no other part, he proceeded ie,rling. it
low the rabbit, which action he accelerated hY•Pstiu..ong rel;
dawn his throat against his own boi, and hY a -the Pc-
i e ttahakninaglosnugslteu
traction and re-expansion of the muscles which lay at, -„othink
of the head ; by degrees the animal disappeared, nod, w"hieli
impelled forward by the action of the muscles, until „I ogle
the middle of its body, where it remained. Such ti`r,
accounti with those furnished by various writers, an" Pie, tier
:laiensdnaikfeu's,ethceonnait:ll,,atteiri:
ar with that given us b Dr. AI lad of the Ale° co,
y r. ac e ,tito f
shall find them differ in nowise except in the circuni 0
time size of the object upon which it fed ;
this snake's omitting to lubricate the whole of the
ni nit Pr
ci
for thead us .S;
its prey, which, however, may have arisen from the 4,e' 011
tehartaabbdiotg wthasricegotirr slizweawsotsilod gerxepactriaesncet° vserayeliftil
difficulty in obtaining a temporary midence
maw. There is
NO in this menagerie, one of the most utch', ass
specimens of that harmless reptile the harlequin soalte' f, whose
ever seen in this country, the variety and brilliancy :visitors'
,e.7losurs are such as to excite the highest admiration in th.ls;oty,
his is a native of Ceylon, d h been shown to hie foie'
an as , ovac
who Was likewise • highly pleased with its beauty al
to this , _op
( Times.)
mat h
;Ice
nw
etia animal's

walking on the non W 1
A boy
on Sunday afternoon, perceived a fine salmon which• „hp
into Shallow
water • the lad pounced upon his Prey, seizul.,rior.)
with nia fists, and bore him off ' //Alive"
at trump u
North Humber got