The Litchfield County post., 1826-11-28
From the N. y. Observer g. Chronicle.
THE ANACONDA. -

and was placed in Peale's New-York Museum
for exhibition. 1t is the only one ever brough
alive to this country, and is we'll worthy of
visit from the curious in Natural History
That our readers may form some idea of thu
habits and powers of this prodigy of the ami
NAL Kingdom, we copy from M'Leod's Mar.
rative, the following account of one, which
was caught few years since in Borneo, and
was embarked at Batavia on board the shir
Cesar, the vessel which carried home the of.
ficers and crew of the British frigate Alceste
after her shipwreck in the straits Of Gaspar.-
MLeod was the Surgeon of the Alceste
and was an eyewitness of what he here
relates. ss
s. He was brought on board in a woo len
crib or cage, the bars of which were suffi-
GENTLY close to prevent his escape; and it
had sliding door, for the purpose of admitting
the articles on which he was to sllbsist the
dimensions of the crib were about four feet
hlgh, and about five feet square, space suffi-
GENTLY large to allow him to coil himself round
with ease. The live stock for his use during
the passage, consisting of six goats OF the or
binary size, were sent with him on board, five
being considered as a fair allowance for as
many months. At an early period in the vow
age we had an exhibition Of his talent in the
way of eating, which was publicly performed
on the quarterback, upon which he was
brought. The sliding-door being opened ,one
OF the goats was thrust in, and the door of
the cage shut. The poor goat, as if instantly
aware of all The horrors of its perilous situa-
ton, immediately began to utter the most
piercing and distressing cries, butting instinct
lively at the same time, with its head towards
the serpent, III self-defence.s
The snake, which at first appeared scarcely
to- notice the poor animal, soon began to stir
Il little, and, turning his head in the direction
of the goat, it at length fixed deadly and
malignant eye on the trembling victim, whose
agony and terror seemed to increase; for pre-
vio,is to the snake seizing its prey, it shook in
every limb, but still continuing its unavailing
show of attack, by butting at the serpent, who
now became sufficiently animated to prepare
for the banquet. The first operation was that
of darling ont his forked tongue, and at the
same time rearing Il little his head; then sud-
denly Selling the goat by the fore leg with his
mouth, and throwing him down, he was en-
circIed in an Instant in its horrid folds. SO
quick, indeed, and so instantaneous was the
act, that it was impossible for the eye to fol-
low the rapid convolution of his elongated
body 1t was not regular screW-like turn
that was formed, but resembling rather knot,
one part of the body OVERLAPPING the other, as
it to add weight to the muscular pressure,
the more effectually to crush his object. Du-
ring this time he continued to grasp with his
month, though it appeared an unnecessary
precaution, that part of the animal which he
had first seized. The poor goat, in the mean
time, continued its feeble and half-stiaed cries,
for some minutes, but they soon became more
and more faint, and at last it expired. The
snake, however, retained it for considerable
time it its grasp, after it was apparently mo-
tionless. He then began slowly and cautious
IL to unfold himself till the goat fell dead from
his menstrous embrace, when he began to
prepare himself for the feast. Placing his
mouth in front Of the head of the dead ami
NAL, he commenced by lubricating with his
saliva that part of the goat; and then taking
it's m,,zzle into his mouth, which had, and in
deed always has, the appearance of raw la
ceFated wound, he sucked it in as far as the
horns would allow. These protuberances OPP
posed some little difficulty, not SO much from
their extent as from their points; however,
they also in very short time disappeared;
that is to say, externally but their progress
was still to be traced very distinctly on the
outside, threatening every moment to pro-
trude through the skin. The victim had now
descended as far as the shoulders; and it was
an astonishing sight to observe the extraordin-
ary action of the snakes muscles when
stretched to such an unnatural extent-an ex-
tent which must have utterly destroyed all
muscular power III any other animal that was
not, like itself, endowed with very peculiar fac
ulties OF expansion and action at the same
time. When his head and neck had no other
appearance than that of serpent's skin, stuff
fed almost to bursting, still the workings OF
the muscles were evident and his power Of
suction, as it is enormously called, undated
it was, in fact, the effect of cOntractile mus
cular power, assisted by two rows of strong
hooked teeth. With all this he must be 50
formed as to be able to suspend for a time, his
respiration, for it is impossible to conceive
that the process of breathing could be carried
on while the mouth and throat were SO com.
plefely stuffed and expanded by the body O
the goat. and the lungs themselves, (admiftine
the trachea to be ever SO hardy compressed
as they must have been, by its passage down
| wards.
1.-THE whole operation of completely gor
ging the goat, occupied about two hours ant
twenty minutes: at the end Of which time TIL
tumefaction was confined to the middle par
of the body, or stomach, the superior parts
which had been SO much distended, havin,
resumed their natural Dimensions. He nov
coiled himself up again, and laid quietly in hi
1 usual torpid state for about three weeks or
month, when his last meal appearing to b
/ coronlatalv di0esfed and dissolved he wa