Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-01-31
Aancaster Dntclligenrer.
WEDNESDAY EVENING JAN. 81. 1888
MONSTER SNAk ES.
so,ue of the Different Kinds Found In
tropical KeSiOns.

IL
a collecting tour in South America, point
ing to a magnificent snake skin more than
twenty-twO feet in length that hung from
the wall of his study, land in this wise.'
he continued, observing the look OF III
crcdulity upon his visitors face. " was
way up the Amazon, and being anxious to
get a large snake offered reward for
one. and soon heard of a big fellow that
had been seen about three miles from
where was Immediately moved into
the neighborhood, and after we had
secured the country several days the Doy
had with me came running throu3n INC
bush in great excitement, saying that Il
hic boa and the saubas (auts) were having
a fight. The saubas, by the way, are
forapinp ants that put to flight man ana
beast. When they enter mouse the
owner steps out and runs Tor his llle. anu
when came up to the snake found IL I'D
a similar fix. 1t was magnificent Specl
men. 1t had swallowed some exceedingly
large animal, and, while almost unable I'd
move, had been attacked by the ants. me
grass bushes, twigs and leaves were DiacK
with the insects, aud every moment or
two the great reptile would lft ltSel, III
the air and sway about savageiy, ouI
only to fall back again. | saw thai the
nv boy back to tho village to get rope,
and took TO the trees myself.
"In half au hour he returned with "
men. made lasso, and. getting near
the snake, succeeded in throwing 1T over
his head, but became fairly covered VITA
ants SO that had To rush away ana roll
in the bush to rid myself of them. How
ever, We all rallied, manned the rope, ana
managed to drag the snake out OF Ills
retreat and away from ants. IL was 50
sluggish under this rough treatment tha'
| was able to place my pistol within SIX
inches of its head when shot l.. l soon
had it in camp and the skin taken on.
wanted the skeleton also, but the natives
stole it in the night and nv specimen
went for stewS the next day. Boa meat Is
not bad, and is very generally eaten N
many localities.
"Iery few people can be made to BE-
heye tia, snakes alta II the SIS men
toned bv natu:alistS. Nevertheless,
gigantic snakes do exist. In Borne'. Mr.
$, John mca>uI ed snakes twcnt!-slx iect
IN length. Nj Bates, the naturalist,
measured in SOUTH America many water
b0aS thai were twenty feet long. put tne
la7-es; snake ever reported 10 have peen
seen by European of uuqutstloneu
veracity WAS that vonched for by the well
known hotan;st. DR.. Gardener. The
monster had swallowed horse, and had
soon afterwa!d been drowned by being,
swept down river by an Overflow ana
when found after the settling Of the water
i was hanging in tree. 1t presented a
most remarkable spectacle, being forty
feet long and distended to an enormous
bulk. These scrpents are often called
Ttmucu7ch1liiia. meaning fighting with
five men, 4 skin of one fOIneIi iy III TIE
British museum is thirty five feet long.
Antlanson observed Il snake in Sencga
that was SO feet i'll length and = II diam
cter, while Watvrton tells uS that q
Spaniard showed Kim a skin at Ar gostura
the capital of Ornoco, that from It's thick
ness he judged to have been that OF
serpent seventy feet long. Baldaens, th'
author found serpents i'll Ceylon thirty
six feet in length, and in Java he saw on'
that had swallowed a stag entire. owen
in his Natural History of Scrpents, give
the length of one as fifty feet, and Fathe
Camilla, in his History Of Orinoco, refer
to serpeuts forty feet long: 50 that
would seem fair to suppose that snakes d.
attain what might be called glgantl
Dimensions. On tho Rio Branco tn
traders and natives report that snakes
swallow full sized cattle, and this can d.
readily perceived. The horns, of coulse
are not swallowed. The snakes lie in
letLargic condition until they drop of.
"A case came to my hearing" continue
the naturalist, "of a curious accldeDt oc
casionctl by snake that had swallowed
deer. A native pinching the body, an
thinking the reptile dead, attempted
cut it, when the monster wllthed an
! L.,
force that the projecting horns penetrate
his lungs and killed him. Mr.. Mcleod
who was the historian Of the Voyage {
the Alcaste,' was captured and kept
prisoner for many months at Whidah, G
the coast of Africa, and he states that
observed snakes nearly sixty feet i'll iengtl
Tales OF fabulous snakes are common l
history. Nalerious Maximus, quotin
Liyy, refers to the alarm into which Il
Roman army was thrown by an enormot
SERPENT that had its lair Oh the banks {
the Bacra,luS, near Utica. This snak
according to Piny, was lJ0 feet l0n
BOntius refers to snakes III tho Aslat
Islands that exceed sc feet III length, IL
mentions that he has secn persons eatil
the flesh Of large hogs captured by al
taken from snakes.
"The great camondi snakes of Sout
America have habit of hanging fro'
trees over the water with portions OF the
bodies concealed, SO that they would
easily taken for the great vines that gro
50 luxuriantly in these forests, and IN I'd
way they obtain much of their prey til
comes unsuspiciously along, even hum;
Camo not being neglected. kingsley Y
lates an occurrence where four your
women were bathing in a lagoon and o.
ofthem felt herself pulled from benin
At first she thought it prank OF o.
of her companions, but the form
An enormous snake soon appeared.
had fastened its teeth to her bathing DIRE
but the others succeeded in frighting
off. When they are gorged with food th
coil up closely and resemble stump, al
case is known Of native having ma
the mistake of sitting down upon one WI
results astonishing to both seat and sitt'
Waterton in referring to the canon
snakes says that specimens from thirty
forty feet long have been killed and tn
the Spanialds of Brazil positively atfil
that in the unfrequented districts the
serpents sometimes attain length
seventy feet, and will destroy the large
and strongest bull. They call them ma
tOros which means literally bull killers.
xx"In choosing allies. look 10 their pO'
as wei as their will 10 aid you" In choos
a remedy for bowel. liver and kidney diSea
try Kidney-wOrt aud you will never regret
Ifyou are subject to ague, you must lie
IN kecp YOUR liver, bowels and Kidneys
t,.n q.