The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1872-1881, 1881-04-22
Tbe side shsw Man Prepurfag fsr
Hfs sanmer Trfp -serpenfs
a. Ned IrIlasra

ME- sasmer Trfp serpenfs
~ Ned Felfssrs.
The man Of whom a garish side show
canvas representing a snake charmer en-
iwined with snakes l. descriptive, sat BY
he Dor of reptiles In his Brooklyn home q
few days ago, flllng some bottles With hot
water TO Keep them warm. This has
been hard Winter on my snakes" he
aid, a. he placed some Of the bottles he.
meath the blankets upon which . boa con-
rtriclor and an anaconds were coiled, "and
! have had hard work to keep them. !
have had 20 keep them sarm all the time,
and the slmlas-t way IL 10 put them In a
tight boz o. lhick pine, 9TH q sli.. strip
in the sides, TO crowd In a. many blankets
a. are needed, and to pile bottles of hot
water In the centsr, 30 that the snakes can
coil around them. have lost $500 worth
% snakes by the cold weather heretofore,
and A. these tvo are uorih about $50
each ara careful Of them, h.cause there
y no life Insurance company for snakes,
you know
"Once ! va. travelling in the Northweai
with sir snake, anacondaa, hoas and black
snakes, and We wers caught in cold snap.
I had NJ way Of warming them, and ! saw
that they we're beginning TO get chilled.
Non can't build a Ere for them, you know.
You have to have peculiar appliances to
heat them, sach o. they have In the me-
naeerie a. Central Park, where the snake
lier upon a sheet-iron shelf warmed by an
oil stove. knew that to delay vas to
lose all my property, so | had bed made
for myself and covered With blankets Then
| crawled in and lifted my snakes in after
me. ] sleps oil nigh, with lhoss six snake.
in my bed. have known men in bed to
'ee snakes when there were none around,
but had EN- that nigh, in reality, and !
'Ouht il the mos, profitable night ever
'pent"
"When Do you feed the snakes
"Once in three months four meals
rear -hreskfasi, lunch, dinner aud sup
per."
"What DO they eatr'
Rabbits. guinea pig, frog, young
pigrons--alvays living creatures.
put an animal into the Dor aud the
make strikes il once with il tail, and il Is
Il dead a. though lightning had struck il.
Then the snake throws one coil around il
md brushes every hone in il. body. NEXT
elects slime all over it, add, sire iching
'ul, gnlps Il down whole. II i wonderful
,ov il swallows mas. several times bigger |
han IT, body"
Does one animsl make meal ?"
"No, Il takes about sin. ! will feed to
hese two dozen young chickens in about
hree weeks, and that will last them until
summer"
Lining hi. snakes out u the Dor. their
'wner allowed them 10 entwins themselves
round his arm, kiss his cheeks and lips,
mi crawl around his body and down his
ca,
~OL," he said. 'they are a. harmless as
loves and a. wise As serpents. The fork
a tongue which you see Is not poisonous.
rhe popular impression !. that the snake
lses this TO dart It's venom, bat the fact is
hat Il i only feeler for the make dur
Nc IT, period Of blindness, just before il
Iheds H. skin. These snakes have only
me weapon, and that is Their coil. Am
'asfal to .ee that they don't coil around
ny throat, for they might choke me 10
leath IN a very Few minutes. have been
'itien By them several times on the face,
nj the wound Is not dangerous. Il in
amer some, showing that there Is slight
'oison in the bite, and although slow in
'uring il finally heals Without a scar. A
has a hollow fang with which
bites, and at the same instant il elects
iream Of poison as though from tiny
yringe into the wound. | have extracted
hese iangr, but in few months others
Irow in their places. ! have handled
aiilesnakes in my time, but ! don't like
heir company. II requires skill to handle
hem, but ! don't consider that il does to
'andle boas and anAcondas. The skin
Nth them !. in keeping them in condition.
This climate i very hard on the tropical
makes"
"Are there snakedoctors p"
Il am the only one, ! believe. have
hake medicines. The best remedy for
heir sickness i burnt alum and white
honey; but when a snake begins to 60 it's
lard 10 save him.
SLOW do you transport the makess"
"in box in glass cage. ! ride in
costume in the cage in a procession, with
he snakes crawling over me. | allow no
me else to handle them. Ny whole capital
b In snakes"
WHEAT CULrvArIoN.-The question OF
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