Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-08-12
sIgh.s and snake. in Brazil.

A correspondent of the Philadelphta Press
writes from Para, on the Amazon: There
are seldom less than dozen vessels load
ing here for foreign ports, and many of
them are models of nautical beauty. The
strangers stopping here are continually
counting and criticising these vessels, talk
ing discursively and knowingly of the
Amazon and its wonderful productions, but
they contemptuously ignore the cnnoa.-
Yesterday one of these queer looking things
came down with the tide, and hauled up
at the end of the pier, within fifty yards
of where was writing. She had neither
sspars nor sails, but had palm toldo over
the stern, and another extending to the
bow, giving her much the appearance of an
: oval s.'winrown of hay afoat. She had a
family of natives on board, and was laden
{ to the waters edge with salt fish and CO.
eleven months work, tas they labor) to col
lect. She had fioated with the current
from near the Puxiri country, on the left
] bank of the Negro, and had the usual
pets on board, consisting of birds, NOM
e keys, and what took to be fine young
boa constructor, until, on offering to handle
it, I was jerked back by strong-armed
native. who Immediately went through a
pantomime, expressive of man dying by
poison; / had mistaken the deadly surucu-
cual, or Ma de aqua for boa, and but for
the Indian might have got into an awk-
constructor, growing TO the length oftwelve
feet and very powerful, but he is also eX-
eeeding1y venomous, and his bite is unani-
mously agreed to be incurable. Not long
ago planter near the city had an uncom-
monty large and fine specimen of the Ma
: de dqaid, which was kept in bamboo cage
for security, but from which it contrived
one night to make its escape, when it COM
menced a row by chasing the cats up and
down the veranda, overturning chairs,
water jars, and whatever came in its way.
The owner hearing the disturbance, but all
-unsuspecting of the cause, stepped out of
his room, and was met by the reptile, and
. received it's deadly fangs in his breast,
with full effect. In less than an hour he
was dead. They have strong tastes here
in the matter OF pets. Large serpents are
in especial favor, and gentleman, who
ought to know the commercial value of
the article, tells me he will pay five dollars
1per foot for any healthy snake measuring
over fifteen feet in length. Black tigers
-toof are scarce and in request. am assured
by the same gentleman that pair of fine
ones might be sold for one hundred pounds,
and a fellow wanted to sell me little
pinchi monkey for the modest sum of
twenty-five dollars in gold. At the con-
sul's warehouse there is serpent which
has been an inmate of the establishment
for the last four years, and is probably as
tame as snake ever becomes. His home
> is large box, where he is supposed to
pass his time in the tranquil observation of
the various commercial operations OF the
house, and indigesting his last rat (eaten
two months ago.) In point of fact, how
ever, the box is empty, and his snakeship
inhabits the darkest recesses of the ware
house. where, hidden among the various
packages of cocoa, seringa, coffee, etc., he
-keeDs out of view for the most part, fre-
quently being invisible for a. week at time,
when some inquisitixe customer will be
startled by hiss, sounding like the escape
pipe of a steam engine, and find himself
nearly on the coils OF serpent, fifteen feet
long. A few days since an Irishman was
directed to bring out barrel supposed to
be empty, but on lifting it he thought it
partly filled with rubber, and was directed
empty it accordingly. He reached his
and was instantly seized by the serpent,
which had carefully coiled itself away
in the empty flour barrel. The hand
was bitten entirely through, nor could
the fangs be disengaged from the mangled
flesh until the assistance of a couple OF ta-
puoys had been obtained, who, by pulling
q the hand back and prying the jaws forward,
succeeded in loosening the fangs. When
first saw the reptile he was out of temper
through having been routed by the removal
of some packages among which he had
taken up his quarters. He had one turn
of him around nail keg, and l was In
vited to test his power by tugging at his
tail, which did but he came about with
such startling hiss, and exhibited such
an open expression of cOuntenance, that l
inyoluntarily dropped the tail, to the in
tense delight of half dozen grinning
darkies. There is absolutely no danger to
. he unprecedented from these pythons; even
the deadly Ma de aqua is SO seldom seen,
80 hard to find even, when some naturalist
desires a specimen, that traders and travel
ers scarcely give the danger a Thought.
There is far more to be dreaded from the
lesser reptiles, such as centipedes, black
scornions and tarantulas; but the traveller
f, ar naturalist in this region will lind that
the insect tribe are much more troublesome
than all large reptiles and beasts combined.
To return to the. canoa and her freight;
She has been long time floating down. and
when she has discharged her cargo Will moist
her dark red sail for Mainos again, 20
make her appearance at Para after an aD-
sence covering the better part OF year.
Bv her side is another of large size, with
her deck and tofdo built of boards instead
of palm bark and leaves, the Significant
point of this being that each one of the
boards is hacked and hewn from single
log by the Indians with nsGchetes-a log
only furnishing one board. There are such
boards on sale here now, at fifteen milreis
the dozen boards, or about sixty-two and a
half cents each. They are twelve feet