Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-01-20
THE "LIGNlFIED SNAKE OF BRA.
ILL.,,
An Explanation Of the Phenomenon.

An Explanation Of the Phenomenon.
At the meeting Of the Biological Society of
this city, December 22d last, Prof. C. V. Riley
read paper on this curious lts,ss nature which is
now being discussed by scientists in this cOun-
try. The following is the substance of his in
teresting remarks: -:
In La Nature of the 9th Of May last, NJ.
Louis Olivier gives an account of LIE Reptile
| Ignite de Matto- GrossO-an object which
| has attracted more or less attention from
the scientific world of late. The speci-
men was found in the province Of Matto-
Crosse, Northern Brazil, and after OBJ
tanning many contradictory opinions from men,
bers OF scientific societies at Rio Janeiro, its
| present possessor, Senior Lopes-Netto, envoy
extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary from
Brazil to the United States, took it to Paris
with him and submitted 1t to NJ. Olivier. who
afterwards brought his results before the
Societe Botanique. The article embodies the
brief, is what appears to be ligni1ed serpent,
formed between the outer bark and the wood,
IN the cdnblum layer. in fact. of native tree
known as the Ipe nairim. NJ. Olivier states that
TO the eyes OF his associates and himself. it is
evident that the object is not due to the in
tervention Of the hand of man. The head
| and neck and other parts Of the body are beau
| tifully shown. In certain parts of the body the
| most delicate parts of the animal organism are
said to be plainly visible-the nasal apertures.
the orbits OF the eyes. and upon portion of the
head the disposition of the scales and cephalc
| plates are dstinguishable. He even goes so far
as to Identify the serpent as the little jdrdrdca
! of Brazil
In explanation of this wonderful state OF
affairs he starts with the statement that it ia
necessary to admit that the live serpent worked
| Its way into the position it occupied when
iound: An anatomical examination showed
that the whole animal is completely lgni-
n nenst except at the center, where some
main. His examination shove that it is made
up OF cellules and fibres similar to the fbres and
cellules of the wood which surrounds it. 1t is
Impossible he states, that the appearance could
formation had taken place in channel which
had been traversed by the serpent retaining its
form; for upon the piece of wood not only Is
the contour of the animal recognizable, but also
lts entire body In relief. Beyond the head ia
seen, also in relief. little cylinder which NJ
Olivier suppOses to be an insect larya which the
reptile had followed into a assure between the
bark and the wood. where, after a number of
years, 1t had been covered by series Of woody
layers, and the cellules and fibres of the cam
bum layer had been substituted for the con-
stituent parts Of the animals periphery, the
surrounding zones becoming more or less n.y.
pertrophied. leaving the body in relief
The members Of the botanical society present
| M.
ivier in this conclusion; but in closing his article
| he admits that there is still room for doubt and
| that he will postpone definite decision until
| he learns the result of the examinations by the
scientific men OF Italy, Sweden and the United
states, to whom Senior Netto proposes to sub
| NIT 'ce reptile engmatique.' -.
The main points OF this article were repeated
| in the Popular Science Monthly for November.
| 1882 with letter from NJ. Olivier to Senior
Nett0. giving the additional testimony Of NM
n
The conclusions are however here stated as
| facts with less qualification Senior Netto de-
serves great credit for the efforts ne has made to
get at satisfactory explanation of the strange
specimen IN his possessiOn-eforts which show
that he desires to get at the truth and it is not
| surprising that with such testimony and opin-
| ion as that above given he should himself be q
| strong believer in the lignitied snake theory.
| propose to show. however, that there is a far
more rational explanation of the phenomenon.
ERRONEOUS CONCLUSIONS FROM STRIKING REsEM-
| BI.ANCEs.
There are on record various curious instances
| OF similar erroneous conclusions that have been
arrived at In the past from the chance and
striking resemblances which gals and fungi at
times bear to fruits and animals l have an oil
| painting of fungus formed on a PROSTATE LOG
which so remarkably resembles an tnfIedged
! CHICKEN that 1t was deemed At for preservation
| In this form by prominent lady member fthe
! Alton On horticultural society. who made the
| faithful painting some fifteen years ago, and
| have called attention 18th Mo. Emf. Rep D. ia,
| II to the frequency with which certain calls ara
| reported as hybrids between different fruits.
| The last instance of this kind that reached me
was the following letter addressed to Prof Baird.
| the supposed hybrid between a grape vine and
pecan being In reality the gall OF Cecidomyia
| uitis pOnsan:
Spencer PEI BE Basrd EsG: SECRETARY smithsertan:
# With s ssc.n rss ssda 1Sd
the p5 ent YIN tNiles for support have OBJ
@ es
h cppnE from Il NINE
hay h9%s s Ut s
very lew grape and all were OF the nature with
~ - ~ '''' " J. THU T. Hur 81
l also exhibit In Illustration, mesquite
| bough which had naturally grown so like ser
pent that it has hung for sometime in Professor
Baird's Office as curiosity. and which exempli-
| fies the temptation that exists under such cir
| cumstances to eXaggerate the likeness on the
part of the discOverer in some artificial carving
at one end, that enhances the likeness to a SER
pents head.
PROBABLY THE BURROw OF LARYA
Upon first being shown the original OF the
otnhC ~ NctJO, aC Ills resi-.
dence. was at once struck with It's resemblance
| to burrow Of some Coleopterous larya of the
family BupreStidg filed. as such burrows GUS
tomarily are. with excrement and reiectament-
| airy ibers. Subsequent careful examination and
consideration convinced me that such an ex-
| PLANTATION is far more plausible than that hith-
efto proposed I consider that this explana-
ton must have forced itself upon the French
| Swans who studied the specimen, had there
| been any entomolOgist among them Ny views
may be summed up as follows:
l. 1t requires great stretch Of the lmaetna-
ton to consider Che object in advance of the so
called reptiles head an insect iarva To an I'M
| imaginative eye it appears like simple knot
similar in all respects to two which occur in
other parts of the serpent Itself
2. The length of the object-2S CHIN COM
parsOn with its width cm.-is also sirnif1-
| cant when the fact is considered that at the
| point where the relief ends the diameter OF the
"serpent" is greatest. This would correspond
with the gradually increasing size of a iarya
| which has entered at the smaller or head end of
| the serpent" 1t is significant also that the
| larger end. where the insect would have pre-
pared for its transformations and exit. is broken
| Off and that the first curve which. on the SER
pent theory. the animal must have made In for
1