The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1883-02-23
Monster Snakes,
SOME OF THE DIFFERENT KINDS FOUND IN
TROPICAL REGIONS.


turned from collecting tour in South
America, pointing to magnificent
snake skin more than twenty-five feet
in length that hung from the wall of
his study, "and in this wise,' he con.
tinued, observing the look of incredu-
lity upon his visitors face. 81 was
way up the Amazon, and being anxious
TO get large snake ! offered a reward
for one, and soon heard of big fellow
that had been seen about three miles
from where l was. / Immediately
moved into the neighborhood, and af-
ter we had secured the country several
days the boy ] had with me came run
ming through the bushes in great excite.
ment, saying that a big boa and the
saubas (ants) were having fight. The
saubas, by the way, are foraging ants
that put to flight man and beast.
When they enter house the owner
steps out and runs for his life, and
when came up to the snake found
it in similar fix. 1t was magnifi-
cent specimen. 1t had swallowed some
exceedingly large animal, and, while
almost unable to move had been at
tackled by the ants. The grass, bushes,
twigs and leaves were black with the
insects, and every moment or two the
great reptile would lift itself in the air
and sway about savagely, but only to
fall back again. / saw that the ants
would destroy it in an hour, so sent
my boy back to the village to get a
rope, and took to the trees myself
SIN half an honr he returned with
20 men. / made a lasso, and getting
near the snake, succeeded in throwing
it over his head, but i became fairly
covered with ants so that had to rush
away and roll into the bush TO rid my
self of them. However, we all rallied,
manned the rope, and managed to drag
the snake out of his retreat and away
from the ants. 1t was so sluggish un.
der this rough treatment that / was
able to place my pistol within six inch
es of its head when l shot it. / soon
had it to camp and the skin taken off.
| wanted the skeleton also, but the ma
tives stole it in the night and my speci-
men went for stews the next day. Boa
meat is not bad, and is very generally
eaten in many localities.
"Very few people can be made to
believe that snakes attain the sizes
mentioned by naturalists. Neverthe-
less, gigantic snakes do exist. In Bor-
neo, Mr.. st. John measured snakes
twenty six feet in length. Mr.. Bates,
the naturalist, measured in South
America many water boas that were
twenty feet long, but the largest snake
ever reported to have been seen by a
European of unquestioned veracity was
that vouched for by the well.known
botanist, DR.. Gardener. The monster
had swallowed horse, and had soon
after been drowned by being swept
down a river by an overflow, and when
found after the settling of the water it
was hanging in tree. 1t presented a
most remarkable spectacle, being forty
feet long and distended to an enor-
nous bulk. These serpents ale often
called Iemacuilchnilia, Meaning
fighting with five men, A skin of
one formerly in the British museum is
thirty five feet long.
Andanson observed a snake in Sene-
gal that was so feet in lergth and p
in diameter, while Waterton tells us
that Spaniard showed him a skin at
; Angostura, the capital of Orinoco, that
from its thickness he judged to have
been that of serpent seventy feeet
long. Baldaens, the author, found ser
pents in Ceylon thirty-six feet il
length, und in Java he saw one thai
swallowed stag entire. Owen, in his
Natural History of Serpents, gives th'
q length of one as fifty feet, and Fathe
Gumilla, in his History of the Orinoco,
7 refers to serpents forty feet long 81
4 that it would seem fair to suppose tha
snakes do attain what might be calle(
: gigantic dimensions. On the Ri
/. Branco the traders and natives repor
q that snakes swallow full sized cattle
}, and this can be readily perceived. Th
( horns of course, are not swallowed
!, The snakes lie in lethargic condition
II until they drop off.
"a case camo to my hearing" con
y. tinued the naturalist, "of curious ac
,,t cident occasioned by snake that ha
4 swallowed deer. A native pinchinI
70 the body, aud thinking the reptile dead
II attempted to cut it, when the monste
n writhed and hurled its head at the ma
with so much force that the projectin
T horns penetrated his lungs and kille
m him. Mr.. Mcleod, who was the histC
If rian of the Voyage of the Alceste
lt was captured and kept a prisoner fo
70 many months at Whidah, on the coas
0. of Africa, and he states that he obseI
as we'd snakes nearly sixty feet in lengt
Tales of fabulous snakes are commo
y in history. Nalerious Maximus, gu,
ting Livy, refers to the alarm int
which the Roman army was thrown b
an enormous serpent that had its la
on the banks of the Bagradus, ne;
Utica. This snake according to Pin,
was $50 feet long. Buntious refers
IN snakes in the Asiatic Islands that e.
to ceed SO feet in length, and mention
lg that he has seen persons eating Il
8 flesh of large hogs captured by and Il
lg ken from snakes.
ty The great camondi snakes of Sout
or America have habit of hanging fro
ry trees over the water with portions {
y, their bodies concealed, so that the
- would be easily taken for the gre
ne vines that grow so luxuriantly in the
re forests, and in this way they obta
vo much of their prey that comes unsu
'ir piciously along, even human game N,
ed being neglected. Kingsley relates Q
J. occurrence where four young wom'
were bathing in lagoon and one {
ed them felt herself pulled from benin
'e, AT first she thought it prank of OF
el, of her companions, but the form of {
ou enormous snake soon appeared.
lls had fastened its teeth to her bathil
lot dress but the others succeeded in frigl
ot ing it OIL. When they are gorged wi
nd food they coil up closely and resent
an a stump, and case is known of a Il
It tive having made the mistake of $