The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1883-08-29
A CHILD SNAKE-CHARMER.
A TRREE-vEAR OLD Box HANDLING
sNAKEs WITH IMMUNITY.

Facts Ah0ut ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS thut
Comnit Suicide--Snakes re Food.
A man who has devoted much of
his life to the capture and study of
rattlesnakes and other ophidians, is
now cigar dealer in Philadelphia,
where he entertains his friends and
patrons with some of his experiences
of snake hunting, and at the same
time exhibits, free, many trophies of
his skill. Mr., ellis belongs to family
that has long been famous for snake
catching, and that peculiar liking for
the reptile tribe has descended to his
youngest child, a boy of less than three
years of age, who has not yet arrived
at the age of l1nickerbockers. In a
back room there is large cage con-
tanning six turtle-head snakes from
Cuba, ,thelargest of which isnearly eight
feet long. In the corner of the cage,
reaching to its top, is a leaaess tree,
whereon the serpents stretch them
selves when they are tired of sleeping
in the sand that covers the floor.
Little George ellis goes among them
as fearlessly as though they were tame
doves, and has pet name for each
snake. When his father told him the
other day to hand out "Barnum," he
boldly seized the largest of the snakes
back of the head and pulled him over
his shoulder, dragging him bodily to
the door of the cage. The serpent
wrigg,e1 and threw a coil of his tail
around the trunk of the tree, kissing
little, meanwhile, as though angry
but the boy was too strong for him,
and soon handed him to his father.
Then he seized in turn the other five
snakes, varying from three to five feet
in length, and forced them to climb the
tree, up which they made their sinuous
way very unwillingly and with the air
of being forced to perform much
against their wishes. They were mixed
and intermingled finally in the top
branches so that they seemed rolled
into a ball but when George called
them they disentangled themselves
and glided TO the ground again, where
they once more coiled themselves up
for another nap.
"There is not snake in that lot,
sal Mr.. ellis, "that cannot swallow a
sparrow, and the big one, 'Barnum,'
can get away with big dock-rat very
easily. You have no idea of the ex-
pansion the mouth of snake is capable
of undergoing. They are small, as you
see, and their necks are very slim, but,
by their constructions and convulsions,
they can force down morsel that is
twice their own bulk. Like all other
snakes they must kill their own food.
They will not touch an animal that is
not given them alive and would starve
to death sooner than eat butchers
meat. That is great mistake the
natural histories make when they say
that the serpent salivates his prey be-
fore eating it. Not even the constructor
(who can eat sheep) does that. He
coils himself around his victim after
having struck him and crushes him
into such shape that he can gradually
swallow him. L will let you see Bar
mum swallow sparrow"
The little bird was introduced into
the cage and instantly seized by the
snake. His struggles were very brief,
for in an instant a coil was thrown
around him and he was crushed tC
death. Then Barnum maneuvered
around the cage for minute or so
still keeping the coil tightly pressed
around the bird, forcing the wing;
closely to its side, and was ready fol
his feast. Selling the sparrow by thu
head Git was dead now and released
from the COLI the snake began a serie
of convulsive motions, and in about hal
q minute the bird that visibly distendeC
the snakes neck was out of sight
Talking of rattlesnakes after the ex
hibition Mr.. ellis said that showmeI
were often bitten by them, owing Il
ignorance of their nature. When
rattlesnake first comes into show, h,
said, his fangs are pulled out and mos
showmen- think that after that ther,
can be no danger in handling him
That is a mistake. The fangs will
grow again unless they are cut out a
the roots, and have known of case
where a rattlesnake bit and poisoned
lis handler less than three weeks afte
his fangs had been pulled. Therattle
snakes fangs bend inward and ar
sharper than fine needle at the end
When the showmen want to Gestro,
them they raise the rage of the snak
by Haunting a silk handkerchief il
front of him. In his unreasoning rag
he seizes the handkerchief and cleve
jerk pulls out his fangs. Jack Draper
who was with Gardners circus ten O
twelve years ago, got badly bitten by
snake who g fangs lad been recent
pulled out. He took nine full glasse
of whisky at once and went to SLEEP
and as soon as he woke up he dram
six more. He says the whisky did nc
intoxicate him, and that he had a du
numbness of the arm and a gener;
feeling of paralysis and drowsine:
that frightened him. He recovered j
two or three days.
"The rattles on a snake are not
- sure indication of his age, as the natU
ralist tell us, They say he gets ratt