The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-03-19
THE RATTLESNAKES' BANOUET
A Monthly Dinner for The Reptiles Mt IN.
New York aquarium.
IN. 7. SUM-

IN. I. SUM-
| Lately number OF very fine speeimensc
snakes, both venomous and harmless. ha,s
been added to the attractions OF the anuarium
There are among them rattlasnakes, copuer.
heads, water mocaSins, adders, vipers. fne
snakes, fox snakes, chicken snakes, boa con,
stfictorS, and many Others 80 that the nl
lection Is an unusually large and fine ona
both by reason OF It's c0mprehensiveness and
the fine condition Of the specimens 1T includes'
Poisonous snakes very seldom take food d
captivity. OF some species, no specirnen
has ever been found that would do so. Asa
rule, they obstinately starve themselves
sometimes living for nine or even twelve
months without eating, growing gradually
weaker day by day, until they finally die.
Grotalus horrldus Is not that kind of snake
He Is practical, ready in adapting himself h
circumstances, and II he Is hungry IL SO "a.
cause nothing digestble Is at hand to IA
killed and swallowed.
Mr.. Bergh objects to snakes being fed
with living animals. SO when the rattle
snakes monthly meal-time comes, as it dIdi
on Thursday last, he il never an invited
guest. An hour was chosen when there vera
no strangers In the aquarium and the dinner
was served. Manager Butler acted as sJ
per1ntendent at respectful distance Dr.
Dorner played head waiter, and had two abis
assistants A large. fat rat was put In the
cage Of a rattlsenake about three feet long.
The rat mani 2ted cheerful indifference 70
the situation That was no doubt based on the
happy delusion that its companion was sim
ply a harmless big worm. 1t trotted uncon-
cernedly over the outiyin sections OF snake
peered down among the coils for something's
eat. and stared with innocent surprise and
curiosity at the appraised loudly rafting tall.
Its nonchalance actually seemed to-CNstonaH
the snake, and caused him to hesin y about
opening hOstilities against such a. styol Gus
toner. That situation was maintained Er
five MINUTES All that time the rat
it lay coiled with its neck curved ready
to strike and Its eyes fairly blazing with
malignant ferocity. At length it struck At
the rat-and missed. The rat seemed 10
think no more OF the occurrence than that Cha
worm wanted to change It's position and Was
In somewhat Of hurry about it. There was
no apparent alarm, but only an access II
in the mind of the frsky rodent
about the quivering, whizzng tail, to satisfy
himself concerning which he walked delibef.
ately up To 1t and Snelled 1t. AS he cid 40
the snake struck ain, and that time caught
his victim g left hind leg. A horrible thing
crOtdtus hOrridus was in that moment 81
bouncing upon his victim. The fiat, broad
head was opened into An enormous mouth;
In the widely distended Jaws, the large hook.
ed, venomous fangs were erected: The ewes
glowed with fury. Quicker than sight could
follow the motion, the deadly blow was In
tilcted One instant the snake was motion
less, the next its fangs were fastened In the
t.S VA bhD ana now
thoroughly alarmed rat, and the next It had.
returned to its former attitude, still threat
ening but simply following with watchful
eyes, the movements Of It's victim, without
essaying any further attack. The frightened
rat lost instantly the use Of the leg that had
been struck. On its other three legs 1t first
Sprang about as il In wild terror then drag
ged itself around the cage more and moore
slowly; at length 1t crawled among the coils
OF the snake and there expired. Thirteen
ntlF from, fhf.k
until 1t was dead.
Almost Immediately the snake proceeded 10
the swallowing process. There was no pre-
paratory Inoistening, coiling upon and press-
ing OF the body. The snake simply seized ths
rats head in his mouth and commenced opera-
tions. His upper jaw is built in two sections,
right and left, and he can move them sepa-
rately, backward or forward Hooking the
teeth OF one section into the rats hide, he
would sllde the other section forward little
and take fresh hold with his teeth Then the
first that made fast would let go and cometO
the 'front.', ana rig new purchase In that
way by alternate advances of the right and
left sections of his upper jaw, he Slowly
pushed his dinner down. But it took him
twenty minutes to do 1t.
Several other rats were fed to the rattle
snakes with little variation OF incident, ex-
,ept that their Individual characteristics
we're yariously displayed. None was as IN
conscious OF danger aud imprudently socia-
Dio % Vic hL5I, anu HOue was as piueky as
me seventh, which, upon receiving the fatal
bite, sprang at the snake to make fight Ths
poison was too active In the courageous little
eellows,s veins, however. Even as he reached
the reptiles neck his limbs stiffened, his jaws
became set, and he rolled over, on his back,
weakly kicking and gasping for some min
ltes then died. The quickest death was that
u the fourth rat, which was bitten In the
head, fell Immediately, and was seemingly
lead In less than minute
DR.. Dorner, who knows almost as much
about snakes as if he had made them, ex-
plains that as soon as rattlesnake has eaten
n captivity, the quantity and activity OF its
poison Increases, quickly causing the In
serval between the bite and its fatal result,
lpon small animals at least, to become very
short indeed. But If fed too often the reptiles
venom loses in activity, SO that sometimes
several bites are insufficient TO kill.