The Russellville Democrat., 1877-04-19
LIVE ANAC0NDA.


 don season has arrived an illustrious wis itor from South America. He is one of the largest of the boaidce family known to cur generation. He is an anaconda (Enuectes murinus), which, as l translate it, means the good swimming mouse or deer eater. This immense snake is now safely housed in the geological gardens, under the paternal care of Holland, who has for many years so ably managed the snakes, poisonous and non,poisonous. Our visitor arrived at Liverpool in a large box. Intelligence was given to Mir. Bartlett, who proceeded to Liverpool to inspect him, matter of considerable difficulty. twill not do to buy an expen- sive snake of this kind without war ranty. Snakes are very liable to canker in the mouth. The gums get swollen and fabby and completely conceal the teeth, so that the beast cannot feed. Again, if snakes are injured in their cap ture they frequently die in consequence. It was necessary to examine the snake as to these two points. Having been shut up for several months without food and iD the dark the anaconda was not in a good temper. When the lid was opened MT. Bartlett caught him tight round the neck with both hands; it was not necessary to open the mouth, as the savage snake did that soon enough of himself in true anger. A moments in- spection showed he had no disease of the gums. It was with some difficulty that MT. Bartlett got his head back into the box without letting out more than foot or two of his body. The anaconda has not poisonous teeth, but has great and dangerous powers of crushing. The box with the snake weighed over two hun dred pounds. It was with much dodg- | ing that the anaconda was conducted by two keepers to his new quarters, where he at once retreated into bath of water, from which, as yet, he has only emerged once or twice. It is difficult to give the exact length of the snake, as l he is not to be measured with as much facility as fathom of rope. He is now lying in three parallel folds in his bath we know the length ofthe bath ,and we cal culate his length to be between eighteen and twenty feet-a tremendous fell II It was impossible to get a tape measure around him; but having measured his diameter in his thickest part, we concluded that he is over two feet round the body. At present he is thin, and the skin fits him very loosely. It is hoped that he will soon begin to feed. Mir. Bartlett, with his usual inge- nuity, has found out how to make MT. | Anaconda feed. He covers his bath over at night, and puts therein with the snake duck. The duck is always gone in the morning, and the snake appears fatter. Anaconda is decidely nocturnal and aquatic in his habits. Like our own British snake, it is found in marshy, damp places, and he feeds upon animals which come down to drink at night. MT. Bartlett has ascertained that the last meal this snake had consisted of a young peccary, the horny part of the hoofs hav- ing been discovered in the stones at the bottem of the cage; there are also the hairs of another animal which has to be diagnosed by microscopists. Thistrop- ical American snake is also called the Aboma. The provincial name El traga Uambo or the deer swallower. He never interleres with men, although, of course, he will take his own part if attacked. It is greatly to be hoped that this magnifi- cent snake will, in time, get an appetite and recover from his travel-worn appear ance. His companion in the cage is magnificent. reticulated python Ular sa,ca), caught at Penang. He has been at the gardenssince August, 1876, and has not eaten anything since he arrived. He shed his skin on Sunday, February 25, and is now most lovely to behold. It would be impossible to describe the tints of the new skin Ca splendid lacing of bronze, blue, gold and black) except by saying that they are quite as gorgeous as the peacock's plumage. - Land and Water.
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