Arizona weekly enterprise., 1882-04-01
Surfeitcd with q Blanket.

Boa-constrictors gorge themselves at one meal, and then remain torpid for week or fortnight, or even longer periods. Their powers of abstinence are only equaled by their powers of gluttony. One boa at the Geological Gardens, London, remained for one year and ten months without eating anything, and yet was in good condition. An English magazine tells the story of boa which died of too much blanket
 One of the largest boas, if not the largest, ever kept in captivity, was until lately at the Geological Gardens. It was Il female, which was captured at Ceylon while in n torpid state It then meas ured about twenty feet, but was very thin.
 Regular diet, however, and the care taken of it at the Gardens, where it was sent, soon improved it's condition and at the end of some six years it had grown to the length of more than twenty-nine feet, and as thick round as mans thigh.
 This monster was called Bess," and to the last moment of her captivity, or rather of her life, she remained intoler- ably vicious. Eveu her keepers were afrnd ol her.
 Once she rose with such a reckless plunge against the attendant who was cleaning her cage as to knock him com plctely out of the opening by which he had entered, though fortunately not hurting him, and leaving him ample strength and time to close the slide be- lore she could follow him, which she was quite prepared to do.
 This magnificent reptile died of sur felt of her own blankets.
 She was casting her skin, and was, as Is always the case at that time, partially blind when her meal of rabbits was driven into her cage.
 The first she seized, crushed, and in- stf.ntly gorged. With the others she was less successful. Warned, perhaps, by the fate of their companion, they were most agile in keeping out of the way.
 The second she struck at she missed altogether, but caught her blanket in stead, around the unresisting mass of which she coiled and twined till she was tired, and hendeliberately proceeded to gorge it.
 No effort could get it from her tena- cious jaws, and indeed in her then sav- age humor it was not safe to persist in the attempts.
 Sp at her leisure, though not without considerable exertion, owing, no doubt, tu the woolly nature of tue texture, she succeeded in swallowing her rug, equal in size and thickness to the ordinary covering of bed.
 After this gastronomic feat she lay torpid for about week, when, with great effor s, she di4gorged both the blanket and the rabbit she had previous ly swallowed. Both had evidently dis agreed with her.
 After this she seemed i'll, and, refusing food for month or more, coilcd herself up and laid about seventy eggs.
 Then, though she was evidently very ill, she tried to hatch them.
 In all the history of serpents no boa constrictor had ever laid eggs in cap. tivity.
 However, after some weeks watch ing, the eg ss, having been prematurely extrudcl, became bad so they were re moved with no little difficulty from un der Bcss.
 After their abstraction she seemed very restless and refused all food evel the temptation of live ducks, general, quite irresistible bait to ailing boas was taken no notice of.
 Nothing could tempt her appetite and her fits of anger rose to perfect fur, when her cage had to be cleaned. Il tine end this almost necessary proces bad to be gisen over, but still she re fused her meals.
 After languishing a few weeks more .he suddonly stretched herself out an lied.