Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-08-27
Do Snakes Swallow Their Young?

ONE of the most interesting papers
read before the Portland meeting of the
American Association for the Advance
ment Of Science was in answer to the
question do Snakes Swallow Their
1oung:" and was prepared bv Mr.. G.
brown. In order to elicit testimo-
ny relating to the disputed subject
from all available quarters, Mr.. Brown
inserted letter in the american .AqrieuL
tursSt asking for recital of the facts
from any person who had ever witnessed
the phenomenon of a snake swallowing
US young. In response to this request
ne received over eighty letters from cor
I5Sspohdents IN twenty four States and
fIoFlnces, containing valuable evidence
~ !ile case. A farmer in Mechanicsburg,
OHi0' wrote: In 1885 | saw on the bank
Vi Deer Creek large water-snake. |
procured a pole for the purpose of kill
inS neT; one stroke slightly wounded
her ana she immediately made for the
water; after she had swan about her
!ienSth, she wheeled, placing her under
Jaw just out of the edge of the wafer.
| 'heh, opening her mouth to the fullest
extent, some dozen young snakes. three
( ~ Iouf inches long, seemed TO run. or
rather swim, down her throat. after
which she clumsiIy turned in search of
a hldlng-place. l opened her and found
| ABOUT twenty living young snakes-two
| or three seven or eight inches LONG,
| 4 letter from Chesterfield. \. n. con
tanned the following: L saw a striped
snake on the hillside, and noticed some
thlng moving about her head, and counted
twenty little snakes from enc and a half
TO Two inches long. I made move, and
the ola one opened her mouth, and they
Went IN out Of sight. Istepped back and
waited, and IN a few moments they be-
gan TO come out. Then | made for the
Old snake and killed her, and forced out
| several"
A gentleman in Georgetown, S. c.,
wrote that, while trying to capture a
large moccasin, " she gave shrill,
whistling noise, and five young snakes
ran from under log and ran down the
throat OF the old one. We cut off her
head, and found the five young ones,
which made efforts to get away"
A farmer in RosendaIe, N. Y, wrote
l was one day moving, and, coming
close to smooth, flat rock, l thought
saw as many as a dozen snakes on it. |
ran Tor a fork which was standing within
a few yards, and, when I came back,
there was only one snake on the rock. |
| struck it on the back, and seven snakes
ran out of the mouth"
A farmer in NewburypOrt, Mass, wrote
that he saw a large striped snake sun
ming itself on a rock On making a move
ment, 1.-The old snake opened her
mouth wide, the little snakes ran down
her throat, and then she disappeared in
the shelving rock. I repeated the ex.
pertinent a number of days, to the same
effect"
Such is the tenor of the testimony which
Mr.. Brown secured from unframed OBJ
| servers. To confirm this evidence he re-
| celved concurrent statements from a
number Of naturalists and men of science
| Prof. Sydney L. Smith, of the Sheffield
! Scientific School, saw a ribbon-snake
about two feet long, accompanied by two
| young ones Of three or four inches. On
a hiss from the parent they disappeared
down its throat. The parent was killed
| and two ran out of the mouth while a
| third was found alive in the body" DIR.
| Edward Palmer, when in Paraguay with
the Water-witch' expedition, saw some
seven young rattlesnakes run into their
| parents mouth. After it was killed they
all ran out. These snakes, parent and
| brood, are preserved in the United States
National Museum, Washington. A null
titude of strong evidence like this was
| accumulated by Mr.. Brown and consid-
cred by him conclusive proof that certain
! species of snakes are in the habit of
swallowing their young for their protec-
ton in case of danger. DR.. Jeffries Wy
man, Prof. Gill and other Psychologists
| declare there is no reason why the young
snakes may not live for time within
the stomach of the parent. 1t is difficult
| to smother reptile and it is well known
that the gastric tissue acts feebly upon
living tissues.