The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1880-06-10
GOVERNMENT SNAKES.
How they Affect Women and MIN Who
View Them at the Smithsonian Insti.
tute.

Washington Correspondence Hartford Times.
1T is remarkable how people wi
take in wonderful snake stories," sal
one of the attaches of the Smithsonian
Institute to the Times correspondent
: few days since; "and yet MANY of tn,
most remarkable of the stories ar
true" This conversation took place a
was being introduced to the snak,
family that spend their lives so lazil!
in the immense snake cage in tn,
Smithsonian. In this glass case ar,
snakes of nearly all kinds and dispo
sitions. Some are exceedingly pleas
ant-looking, while others will make al
ordinary person shudder to look a
them. These snakes are long ant
short, thick and thin, and of all colors
while some are apparently changing
their colOrs all OF the time. One O.
them has bulldog looking head, anl
is nearly az thick as bologna sausage
and not over couple of feet in length
while another, whip snake, is not any
thicker than whip-cord, and is nearly
six feet in length. These snakes are
an interesting study to many; but the
writer would rather look at som ethine
else. II am satisfied" said the Smith.
sonian snakeologist, that more people
look at these snakes than anything else
in the museum. They appear to have
q special fascination for ladies. cam,
understand the reason, but it is fact.
Ladies will hang around snake case
and appear to be more interested than
in the contens Of any other case. A
Bible man said to me the other day, in
explanation of this, that probably
Mother Ewes association with snakes,
in allowing herself to be charmed into
eating the forbidden fruit, had some.
thing to do with it. ''Of course 1 do
not know whether this is so or not, but
you can seq for yourself that the snake
case is an attraction" As this talk was
going on, group of ladies were look.
ing at the snakes as they crawled
about and tangled themselves in
an apparently inextricable knot. The
snake case is covered with glass.
so they can not get out of it. "Even ii
they did get out" said the Smithsonian
attache, in an assuring manner, "they
would do no harm, as we do not keep
any poisonous reptiles in the cage.
The janitors of the building handle
them in cleaning out the cage. At first
they were scared, but after assuring
selves that the snakes were not poison.
GUS they took more kindly to it. As
the snakes are such an attraction we
are forced to cater to that taste, and
consequently we are required to keep
up our stock. Snakes are peculiar,
They have a way of swallowing each
other now and then that is surprising.
Four days ago, one of them swallowed
snake that was larger than itself.
After being dead in him four days, il
began to throw eff gases in consequence
of putrefaction, and the swallower was
forced to throw him up, otherwise it
would have killed him. Many Of the
snakes, that are not over four feet in
length or over two inche around, can
and do swallow small chickens or frogs
alive. Tue larger ones swallow rabbits
and rats. Nearly all that they eat is
taken alive. After indulging in q lunch
of this kind, they lay about in q half.
dead-looking way for several months.
Then as the occasion arises they take
in another meal. which lasts them as
much longer. Now and then some oil
the janitors when they come in contact
with very gullible visitor to the
museum tells them the most wonder.
full stories, and they are swallowed
easier than the snake swallows it meals.
"Don't you know" said the Smithso-
MAN boss snake charmer, growing en-
thusiastic, "that some ladies come here
regularly to look at these snakes and
miss one of them as soon as it is gone.
We have irregular supply, go that as
soon as one dies or is eaten up, we put
another in its place, from the breeding
boxes that are kept in the cellar.
The snake-gatherer goes about the
lagoons or bayous in Florida in skitf,
and as he sees his game swimming
about he just grabs them and puts
thom in his bag. It's q very simple
thing to do. On, yes, there are plenty
of snakes that are not found in the wa.
ter. They are found in the woods, in
clumps Of trees, in hollows, or in decay.
ed logs. Thev are caught in much the
same way. Now, every man will no,
make snake collector any more than
every man will make an astronomer
But there are plenty of men, and VIC,
men, too, whose special delight is il
catching snakes. Here is young fel
low that goes by the name of ''Snakey,
and who is or was connected with Ford's
Opera House in this city as property
man. He got his name for his success
in catching snakes; and he has nearly
always one or two in his pocket. There
is also another young man, his name il
Russell. about this city. He, too, al
waye-or nearly always-has a snak.
in his pocket"
"We expect" said the speaker, "tt
have some beauties soon, from Florida
some real fine specimens, and some o
them the largest that ever heen seen
Our collection, being confined to non
poisonous varieties, is necessarily limit
ed; but it is more satisfactory, because
all can approach it without any feeling
of danger or fright, except that which
comes over many people by the barl
mention or sight of snakes. Fielt
snakes are, as q rule, uglier than snakes
that take to the water. The ordinary
water snake feeds on frogs, snaiIs
toads or wopms. The rattlesnakes arr
found up among the broken rocks OF
the hill tops. III is easy enough L
catch them if you have the nerve. II
California some snake-takers make ,
living by furnishing them to the Chin
ese, who make medicine out of them.
"Men, then, as rule, who come
here, do not take kindly to snakesi'
I asked.
No, sir,". replied the snake advo
cater, not one man in ten who come
| in the building ever devotes five min
utes to the snakes-while the othel
nine will simply take passing look q
EN-, and exclaim, Snakes! amt they
ugly?' and pass along, looking at tn,
other cases. There was jim-jam cas-
| in here the other day. The fellow hat
been drinking for some days, and sav
snakes in his delirium, where no snake
existed. As he passed along here h
looked at the snakes, and fairly howl
/ ed