The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1875-12-17
MOSS AaATEs.
A Visit to the Patent Ofica-A Petrified
Lion Snake Half Mile Long.

Lion Snake Half Mile Long.
From the Danbury News.
Your correspondents have a great deal to
sag about Washington. Why don't they
write up the Patent Office? Next to the
street cars, consider it one of the most
interesting places in the city.
After had recovered from my astonish-
ment on beholding Washington's unfinish-
ed monument, ventured to visit the Pat
ent Office.
ItwOuld take six months of hard writ
ing, saying nothing of the cost of the ink
and paper, TO describe what saw in one
afternoon. The Commissioner took my
card and ordered venerable African to
show me around @a5 e .l7@ti39a
A STONE LION. tg4t58
ID the center of collection of stuffed
zebfas was petrified lion from Nubia. He
looked so natural and hearty that I vas
afraid he would bite, but when found that
his jaws were immovable, and that his
name and tail were solid stone, my reck-
lessness became a subject Of general re-
mark. Suspended from the lions neck was
brass plate bearing an inscription to the
effect that his lionship was discovered in a
cave, and brought to this country by Com
modore Mitchell of the Navy. The Com
missioner of Patents got permission from
Congress to saw the lion up into sections,
to facilitate anatomical Investigations. The
feat was successfully performed by the use
of emery powder and black diamond. Az
ter he was ripped open and quartered,
heavy steel gate-hinges were fastened to the
different portions of his body, so that by
touching secret spring, his interior yitals
would be exposed to public view.
Nature does its work we'll. The lion be-
longs to the Nubia snake-swallowing spe-
cies, and when he flies open the remnants
of his last meal are plainly visible. While
l stood admiring the massive neck of the
beast, pale young widow, in deep mourn
ing, accidentally touched the spring with
her gloved finger, when the ponderous
frame quivered and slowly swung open.
The bereaved woman saw the contents OF
it's astonishing stomach, consisting of nine
petrifled rabbits, four large snakes, quar-
ter of an elephant, three young tigers, two
kangaroes and the head of a native hunter.
I did not wonder that the poor lady turned
away her head and gasped for breath. 1
send you lock of hair which the polite at
tendant permitted me to pluck from the
hunters head, when his back was turned.
I am informed that the managers of the
African section of the London Zoologica
Gardens have offered nine thousand dollars
for this curiosity, but our Government has
wisely refused to sell the lion at any price.
THE INDIA RUBBER SERPENT.
At the farther end of the room | saw
what's known as the elastic serpent. 1t
inhabts the dense jungles of the Amazon.
Some call it the rubber snake because it
feeds on the milk that flows from the India
rubber trees in the tropics. Usually, when
not excited, it is only seven or eight feet
long, but the moment it's anger is aroused,
III UCGlLlS w otEGGCA COlA az 1iA ohO GnseO
until it is as long as ships cable. 1t is
always longer at night than in the day
time. After six o'clock it begins the
lengthening process, and proceeds to stretch
midnight it reaches its greatest length;
then it reyerses the operation, and by sun
rise it resumes it's normal condition Of eight
feet.
Several interesting experiments have
been made with it under the direction of
Professor Clactaza of Old Mexico. He
rugged kind of revolving drum with q
crank. A moose was fastened to the SER
pent's head and another to his tail, and the
man at the wheel was ordered to wind him
up while the attendants held him in posi-
tion. AS the winding proceeded boy
poked him briskly With rattan, so as to
make him stretch easily. Strict account
was kept, and in less than twenty minutes
nineteen hundred feet of the reptile had
been wound on the drum, and fully half of
him still remained in the cage. By dark
ening the room and keeping him excited
with the rattan, he was made to reach
length Of four thousand feet, lacking q few
yards. He was then scarcely larger than
coarse wrapping twine.
The crank was let go, and the great
strain made the wheel revolye with fright
ful rapidity, but the serpent was equal to
the occasion. In minute or two he was
in his cage again, only eight feet long and
as hungry as bear.
The Professor thinks that when he gets
used to being wound up on the wheel he
will stretch more than mile.
In South America the natives use these
serpents as cables for bridging streams and
deep precipices. Mr.. Alexander, the Uni.
ted States Consul to that country, writes
that he has sent seven of the finest speci-
mems of these remarkable reptiles, and in
few weeks they will be provided with a
home insthe department of animal curiosi-
ties in the Patent Office. SPHINX.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Nov. 2.