Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1880-06-04
GOVERNMENT SNAKES.
How they Affect women aud Men Who
View Them at the Smithsonian lns,i.
tutc

lew days since, ANA yet many ct the
NEST remarkable OF the stories are
true" Tnis conversation took place as
| WAS bang introduced to the snake
family that spend their lives So lAE,ly
in the immense snake cage IN the
Smithsonian. In this glass case are
snakes OF nearly all kinds and dispo.
sitions, Some are exceedingly pleas
ant.looSing, while others will make an
ordinary person shudder To look at
them. These snakes are long and
short, thick and thin, and Vt all colors,
while some are apparently changing
their colors all OF tho time. Ono OF
them has " bulldog looking head, and
is nearly as thick as ~ bologna sausage,
and not over y couple of feet in length,
while another, . whip snake, is not any
thicker than y whip-cord, and is nearly
six feet in length. These snakes are
an interesting study to many; hut the
writer would rather look at something
else. Il am satisfied" said the Smith.
sonian snakeologist, shat more people
look at these snakes than anything else
in the museum, They appear 20 have
u special fascination for ladies. can't
understand the reason, but il 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 Ct this, that probably
Mother Ewes association with snakes,
in allowing herself to I've charmed into
eating the forbidden fruit, had some
thing 10 do with il. "Ot course | do
not know whether this ia 40 or not, hut
you can SEQ for yourself that tho snake
case Is an attraction" As this talk WAS
going on, u group Of ladies we're look
ing at the snakes rs they crawled
about and tangled themselves in
an apparently inextricahlc knot. The
snake case is covered with glass.
so they can not get out of II, Even II
they did get out" said tho Smithsonian
attache, in an assuring manner, "they
would do no harm, NJ we do not keep
any poisonous reptiles in tho cage.
The janitors of the building handle
them IN cleaning out the cage. At fire.;
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 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, it
began 10 throw Ell gascs in consequence
Of putrefaction, and the swallower was
forced TO throw him up, otherwise it
would have killed him. Many Of tho
snakes, that are not over four feet in
length or over two inches around, can
and do swallow small chickens or frogs
alive. The larger ones swallow rabbits
and rats. Nearly all that they eat is
taken alive. After INDUCING in lunch
OF this kind, they lay about in half
doad-looking way for several months.
Then M the ccasion aIises they take
in another meal which lasts them M
much longer. Now and then some of
the janltors when they come in contact
with very gulible visitor to the
museum tells them the most wonder.
full stories, and they are swallowed
easier than the snake swalowsit meals
Don't you know" said the Smilhso-
nian boss snake charmer, growing en-
thusiastic, "that some ladies come here
regularly to look ut these snakes and
MISS one of them rs soon M IL is gone.
We have irregular supply, 70 that NJ
soon M 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 skill,
and az he sets his game swimming
about he Just grabs them and puts
Thorn in his bag. It's very simple
thing to do. On, yes. there AFRO 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
cd logs. They are caught in much the
same way. Now, every man will not
make snake collector any moro than
every man will make an astronomer.
But there are plenty Of men, and wo-
men, too, whose special delight IL III
Catching rHhkSb. IltTe 10 young lcl.
low that goes by the name OF "Snakey."
and who Is or was connected with Ford's
Opera House in this city IA property
man. lie 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
ways--or nearly always--has snake
in his pocket
1--WE expect" said the speaker, ito
have some beauties soon, from Florida;
come real fine specimens, and some Of
them the largest that ever been seen.
Our collection, being confined TO non
poisonous varieties, IL necessarily limit
ed but il is more satisfactory, because
all can approach il without any feeling
Of danger or fright, except that which
comes over many people by the bare
mention or sight Of snakes. Fold
snakes are, ~ rule, uglier than snakes
that take 70 the water. The ordinary
water snake feeds on frogs, snails,
toads or wopms. The rattlesnakcs are
found up among the broken rocks on
the hill tops. II is easy enough TO
catch them il you have the nerve. In
California some snake-takers make a
living nv ftirniahino lhan In the Chin