Daily Republican., 1879-04-05
THIRD EDITION.
rrc,si,g Ratiirsnak h es.

traction OF The aquarium i"oio "'
among them rattlesnakes, copperheads,
watpr-,noccalius, adders, vipers, King |
snakes, fox snakes, chicken snakes,
loaconslric.ors, and many others, 80
that thu cyllect,On is an unusually
large and fine one. both by reason OF It's
conpr.hensiveness aud the fine condi
tion Of the specimens 1t includes
Poisonous snakes very seldom take
food in captivity. OF some species, no
specimen has ever been founa that
would do so. As rule, they ohsu
lately starve themselves, sometimes
living for nine or eleven months with
cut eating, growing gradually weaker,
day by dav, until thay finally die
Crotulus Horridus is not that KIND OF a
sake. He is practical, ready IN aaap'-
lug himself to circumstances, and II ne
is hungry, is so because nothing d'seS
tible is at hand to be killed and s~ai'
lowed.
Mr.. Bergh objects t, snakes being
fed with living animals. So when the
rattle snakes monthly meal time CO mes
as it did on Thursday last, he is never
an invited guest. An hour was chosen
when there were no strangers IN the
aquarium and the dinner was served.
Manager Butler acted as superlnttn'
dent, at a respectable distance. DR..
Dorner played head waiter and had
two able assistants. A large, fat rat
was put in the cage of rattlesnake
about three feet long. The rat mani
tested cheerful indifference to the
situation, that was no doubt based Oh
the happy delusion that its companion
was simply a harmless big worm. 1t
trUtled unconcernedly over the outly-
ing sections Ul the snake, pe-red dowh
among the coils for something to eat,
and started with innocent surprise and
curiosity at the upraised loudly rat
Ting tail. Its nonchalance actually
seemed to astonish the snake, and
caused him to hesitate about opening
host,lities against such cool customer.
That situation was maintained tor
five minu ses. All that tine the rattle
snakes warning notes were sounding
and it lay coiled with its neck curved
re ,dy to strike, and its eyes fairly
blazing with malignant feroclty. a
length it struck at the rat-and miss
I'd it. The rat seemed to think nothing
more of the occurrence than that th'
worm wanted to change its position an,
WIS somewhat in hurry about it. Ther
was no apparent alarm, but only an ac-
cess of curiosity in the mind OF the trisk,
rotrnt about the quiverirg, whizzlnI
tail, to satisfy hiuseif concerning whici
ne walked deliberately up to and smell
ed it. As he did so the snake Strucl
again, and that time caught its VIC
sims left hind leg. A horrible thing
Cr0tulus UoruiuS was in moment
pouncing upon bis victim.
The Nat, broad head was opened into
an enormous mouth i'll the widely dis
tended jaws the large, hooked, veLon
Gus fangs were erected; the eyes gIowe'
with fury. Quicker than sight conl'
follow the motion, the deadly bio" va
inflicted. One Instant the snake va
,no,ionle+s, the next its fangs w-r
fastened II the leg of the squeaklng
struggling, and now thoroughly alarm
Ell rat, and the next it had returned t.
its former attitude, still threatening
hut simply following, with wathfu
eyes, the movements OF its victim, with
out essaying any further attack. IN
frightened rat lost instantly the use
the leg that had been struck. On ii
other three legs it first sprang about
if in wild terror, and then dragged i
.rlt around the cage more and NOR
slowly at length it crawled among I'll
coils Of the snake and there expired
Thirteen minutes elapsed from the tim
it was bitten until it was dead.
Almost immediately the snake pre-
ceeded to the swallowing process. Their
was no preparatory moist~ning, collin
upon and pressing the tody. Tn
snake simply seized the rats head
his mouth and commenced operations
His upper jaw is built into sections
right and left, and he can move thei
separately, backward or forward. llool
ing the teeth of one section into the rat
hide, he would slide the other sectio
lpIWGIA d llLllt ail'A i"hV " '.''''' 49,
with his teeth. Then the first tn
made fast would let go, come to Il!
front, and rig a new purchase |
that wav, by alternate advances OF Il
right and left sections of his upp
Jaw, he slowly pushed his dinner dowl
Bu; it took him twenty minutes to d
il.
Several ether rats were fed to II
rlttlesuakes, with little variation
Incident, except that their in!ividu
characteristics we've varlouSly dIaria
rI. None was as UNCONSCIOUS OF "a
ger and impudently sociable as II
.irst, and none was as pluCky as II
--renth, which, upon receiving tae
tai bite, sprang at the snake to mai
li.;ht The poison was too active in II
little f,iuW's veins, however. Eve
q, he reached the reptiles neck h
limbs sitfsned, his Jaws became Sc
and he rolled over on his back, weak
clicking aud grasping for some minute
and then died, The quickest deaf
was that OF the fourth rat, which vi
bitten in the Lead, fell immedia.el
and wa, seemingly dead in less than
Iuiuute.
Dr.. Dornrr, wi.p knows a'mos:
mu,.b Aiout snakes a. II il" bad thrl
eXy'aius that as soon as r4ttA"'na
Las eaten in captivity, the quantity a
activity OF its poison increases, quick
,ausing the interval between the b
aJi its fatal rrauIt, upon small amin
.t least, to become very short lnde'
Hnt f led too often the reptiles ven
lprsrs il activity )" hat sonletih
several bites are Insufficient to XIII
~. y. sun"