The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1884-04-30
THE ANACONDA'S BANQUET.
HOW A Bra PYTHON SWALLOWS A
RABBIT.
Poor Bunny, Crushed 20 Death in
the Snakes Folds, Gradually Dis
appears Down IT'S stomach.


The biggest anaconda in the glass-en-
closed snake cage at the Philadelphia
museum wriggled uneasily at 8 o'clock
p. NJ, as six young gray rabbits, which
had just been put into the cage, frisked
over his sinuous body. The other ser
pents also awoke to life as the rabbits
feet pattered over their glistening scales.
The two pythons, although they had
been starved like their companions for a
week, seemed indifferent to the offered
feast. Only two of the anacondas ran
out their dark red tongues at the rabbits,
and only the larger of them seemed to
remember that he was hungry. The
rabbits were unconscious Of any danger.
They rubbed their noses along his scales
and even felt in innocent curiosity Of his
ugly, forked head The anaconda tied
himself into a hard knot, twisted
himself straight again with q jerk, and
drew his Shiny body into a curve. One
of the rabbits, whose body seemed three
times as big as that of the snake, rubbed
his cold nose against the snakes closed
mouth. The anaconda drew back sud-
denly, arched his neck and ran his slen-
der tongue rapidly in and out, while his
black eyes became iridescent.
The unsuspecting rabbit made another
coquettish advance toward that upraised
head. A sudden flash, smothered cry,
and poor Buuny's head was buried in the
snakes jaws. The long body, with
startling quickness, tied itself about the
rabbit, fold after fold encircling it with
| slippery construction. Every bone in the
rabbit was crushed in ten seconds. His
gray hind legs gave three or four spas
modic kicks and stretched out in death
Slowly the big snake wriggled and
turned about, never loosening his hold
upon the rabbits head, while the limp
body was drawn again and again through
coil after coil, stretching it to twice its
original length. Then there was short
pause, after which, by an indescribably
horrible movement, the first third of the
snakes body drew itself into greater
thickness toward the neck. The big
white under jaw stretched like rubber,
the whole head pressed forward, the
body drew itself back again, and sew
eral inches of rabbit disappeared. This
process was repeated until only half
of the rabbits hind legs pro-
| tluuOO AiOhh bhO JoWo. 1OOA IhO oho
conda raised its head in air, opened wide
its great red mouth, gave another gulp,
and the rabbits feet were drawn into its
throat. With successive contortions q
the muscles the snake worked the elon
gated and crushed rabbit along its body,
the progress of the victim being plainly
aiscernible by moving swelling, like 4
gliding wave, of the anaconda's skin.
The whole process did not last fifteen
minutes. All the while, the other rab-
bits played about the wriggling snake,
unconscious of the fate of their missing
brother. 1t was a scene fascinating by
It's very responsiveness.
In the course of half an hour the same
anaconda swallowed another rabbit, and
The other snakes had disentangled them
selves and were leisurely preparing for a
meal. Several more rabbits were put in
The cage. "They won't be there in the
morning." remarked Manager Perley, as
ne turned out the gas and led the way
down stairs.