The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1822-09-13
A CURIOUS SPECTACLE.

A CURIOUS SPECTACLE,
The exhibition OF Mr.. Meals raiila
snakes at the Eagle is too great q curiosity
To be passed over. Ii is one of the most
singular sights which We have eycy Witness
ed
Mr.. Nealis Frenchman While In North
| Carolina, he attempted TO procure some
| rattle snakes, for the purpose ol making
ont collection. But some Of the obscr-
vatlens and experiments he made, lad lced
him 10 believe the possibility of tanine
this poisonous reptile he Gnaly made the
| trial, and has Succeeded III "A manner which
IS calculated to astonish every -. holder.
What is the process he employed is nn-
known to nS--he probably awaited himself
of the power, which control over the APP
petite of the animal gives him--he dwelIs
very much too ON the charms Of music :
while lnilam y hunger, and irritatcd by
the Application of hot IRON, the creature is
soothed and soitened by slow aud plain
liFc strain.
Mr.. n. has two rattle snaLes-the male.
which Is ! leri Q inches long, has ratles
TO his tail, thus proving him TO be wears
"li-he has had this soake years--The
female is much smaller, and las . rattcs-
she has been with him 33 months.-So
great is their doeilty, that he will take them
up, after speaking a sort Of jargon to them,
and stloking down their backs, as if they
were So many strings--he will make them
crawl up his breast and face. carcss and kiss
him, coil roIInd his neck, and while one of
them Is thus hanging around him, he will
take up and exhibit the other. TIE perfect
hlrn!icssness of the reptile, and even at
tachnIeut TO his keeper, is astonishing
Meanwhile Mr.. \. Is himself thoroughly al
his casc--complet' ly self possessed, deer.
ting the spectator with the exhibition This
snakes, or instructing them by his explana-
tons. He says, he has no fears himself:
for, Independently OF lis command oyer
the animal, he is satisfied he can c,Ire the
bite of tot the remedy Ite makes no Sc
cret-Wash your mouth first with warm
sweet oil, and then sucl, the wound next,
drink most copiously Of The decoction of
the snhke-roo', until it operates as a strong
emetic.-T'hlS is thg regimen he recon-
mcrds--and which lie believes To he inial-
Iible.
There Is no deception prariiscd upon
you. lie opens the mouth OF the snake,
and shr"s you his fan6s. They are in the
upper Jaw alonc--tNo on each side, and
have the faculty Of renewing themselves, in
case they are drawn out by a violent blow
the fang is within the mouth, bent, siar-
pened and sheathed Ike the claw ot a cat,
and turned towards The throat---the oriiicc
through which the poison is ELECTED is a
small grouvr on the upper side of the fang,
between its point aud the upper curve
the poison bags lie al the roots of the iings.
But to remove ali doubts OF the poison
Gus qualities of these snakes being miinu-
red, Mr.. \, proposes to have public ex-
hibitiou this week when the snake will Nil
young hare by slight stroke, and then
Immediately devour him.
Perhaps no one has had SO good an OPP
poriunity of studying the habits OF the ami
NAL. His remarks will of course iorm a
valuable addition 10 natural history. He
is an intelligent man~-ahd memoir may
be expected from him, when he arrives ia
Europe.-The male snake has just cast his
skin--and the new one is most beautiful
The tail has line glossy black. He says
they renew their skins every two months ,
three times in il.e year: perhaps from Dc
tober to April, they remain torpid, and Ibis
Junction IS suspended. Most propaby, it
varies in different snakes with the qnanti-
ties of food they can obtain Mr. n gene
rally feeds his once week.
They nave also a rattle every year after
the first.-1hey scarcely ever shake II but
when they are strongly excited, or 10 strike
The attention Of their prey. He eontcnds
that the use of their rattles is to draw upon
themselves the eyes OF their victim, which
generally consists ofthe fleetest animals, as
birds, squirrels, sc. As soon rs the eyes
meet, he says the process of charming
commences, He believes in this faculty,
for he has seen il exelnplilird in garden
| by his own snakes the victim will hop iiOm
bough TO bough, aud rock to rock, over
come with apprehension, until approach
| ing each other, the snake seizes him.-Il6
denies altogether, what some naturalisis as
| sert, the delaterious qualities Of their breath
for he has often kissed them, and Ia