Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-08-31
A CHILD sNAKR.CmAR VI Eis.
Some Scrpenfs that Commit suicide
Evidence Of nemark able 1ntc1l.
lgcncc Among teptlles aud TOads-
Feeding SparrOws TO the Serpcntss

Evidence OF Hemark able Intel
1gencc Among Reptiles aud Toads-
GFrom tho PHILADELPHIA Tlmes.l
A man who has devoted mo It of his lf
to the capture and study of rattlesnake
and other ophidians is now cigar deale
on Second street, where he entertains hi
friends and patrons with some OF his ex
periences OF snake-hunting, and at tn
same time exhibits, free. many trophic
OF his skill. Mr. ellis belongs to famil,
that has long been famous for snake
catching, and that peculiar liking for tn,
reptile tribe has descended to his youn e
est child, boy of less than three years o
age, who has not yet arrived at the digni
ty of knickerbockers. In back room
there is large cage containing six turtle
head snakes from Cuba, the largest O
which is nearly eight feet long. In th,
corner of tho cage, reaching to its top, il
n leafless tree, vhereon the serpent,
stretch them selves when they are tired o.
sleeping in the sand that covers the floor
Little George ellis goes among them at
freely and as fearlessly as though they
were tame doves and has pet name fol
each snake. When his father told him
yesterday to hand out Barnum he boldly
seized the largest of the snakes back Of
the head and pulled him over his should
er, dragging him bodily to the door of the
cage. The serpent wriggled and threw q
coil of his tail around the trunk of the
tree, Missing little, meanwhile, MS 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
nnwillingly and with the air Of being
forced to perform much against their
wishes. They were mixed and intermin
gled finally in the top branches so that
they seemed to be rolled into ball, but
when George called them, they disentan-
gled themselves and glided to the ground
again, where they once more collcd them
selves up for another nap.
There is not a snake in that lot, said
Mr.. ellis, that cannot swallow sparrow,
and the big one Barnum, can get away
with big dock rat very easily. You have
no idea of the expansion the mouth of n
snake is capable of undergoing. They
are small as you see, and their necks are
very slim, but by their constructions and
convolutions they can force down NOR
sci that is twice their own bulk. lake
all other snakes, they must kill their own
fool. They will not touch an anima that
is not given them alive, and would starve
to death sooner than eat butchers meat.
That is great mistake the natural his
tories make when they say that the SER
pent snlivates his prey before eating 1t.
Not even the constructor (who can cut II
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. |
will let you see Barnum swallow spar
row.
The little bird was introduced into the
cage and instantly seized by tho snake.
His struggles were very brief, for in an in
slant n coil was thrown around him and he
was crushed to death. Then Barnum
maneuvred around the cage for n minute
or 80, Still keeping the coil tightly press
ed around the bird, forcing the wings
closel ly to its side, and WAS ready for its
feast. Seizing the sparrow by the head
(it was dead now and released from the
coiD the snake began series Of convul-
sive motions, and in about minute the
bird, that visibly distended the snake's
neck, was out of sight. Talking ofrattle-
snakes, after the exhibition, Mr.. Gill said
the showmen were often bitten by them,
owing to Ignorance of their natnre.
"When rattlesnake first comes into q
show" he said "his fangs are pulled out,
and most showmen think that after that
there can be no danger in handling them.
That is mistake. The fangs will grow
again unless they are cut out at the roots,
and have known of cases where rattle
snake bit and poisoned his handler less
than three weeks after his fangs had been
pulled. The rattlesnake's fangs bend in
ward, and are sharper than fine needle
at the end. When the showmen want to
destroy them they raise the rage of the
snake by Haunting silk handkerchief in
front of him. In his unreasoning rage he
seizes the handkerchief. and II clever jerk
pulls out his fangs. Jack Draper, who
was with Garlner's circus ten or twelve
years ago, got badly bitten by snake
whose fangs had been recently pulled out.
He took nlne full glasses of whiskey ut
once aud went to sleep, and as soon as he
woke up he drank six more. He says the
whiskey did not intoxicate him, and that
he had IL dull numbness of the arm and Il
general feeling OF paralysis and drowsi-
ness that frightened him. Thanks to the
whiskey he recovered in two or three
days.
1.-THE rattles on snake are not a sure
indication of his age, rs the naturalists
tell us. They say he gets n rattle every
year. Now, have had snakes that grew
three rattles in year and some that did
4
half. Florida rattlesnakes often get two
rsttles in a year. think they make
more rattles when they are well fed and
are in warm place. Rattlesnakes in
captivity are not MS voracious as Other
snakes. Fifteen mice will feed good.
sized snake for a month, but if you temp.
him he will eat double that number. In
his natural state he lives on his fat in the
winter, and in captivity snake has been
known to live for more than year with
out food. Fangless snakes cannot xii
their game, and have put them in Gag,
with snake with fangs and have seen til,
latter strike the game for them. If hat
killed the mouse or rat nothing woult
have prevailed upon tho snake to ea
it.
"Did you ever know that rattlesnakes
commit suicide? Well, they do. Wher
We catch them We use erotched stick ant
aim to fit the crotch just back of the head
Sometimes we get ttoo far back, and tha
gives the snake chance to bite himself
When he sees that he has no chance o
escape he bites himself, and in half NJ
hour he is dead. If he gets bitten in
fight with another snake he gldes oil a
full speel to II marsh, where he can ge
rnttlesnake weed, sure antidote Tn,
toads know of the remedy also, and of
ten use it after being bitten. We ar,
apt to lespise these lowly reptiles, bu
they have good pluck and often foil TIN
rattlesnake.
Are rattlesnakes good to eat? Well
their hesh tastes like sucking pig and i
perfectly transparent / never made
practice of eating it, but l have taste,
it fried, and have no hesitation in sayin,
that it was delicious"