The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1884-02-20
IN THE INTEREST OF SCIENCE.
Killing a Rattlesnake in the
Smithsonian Insttt ution.
Philudelphia Titncs.j

philadelphia Times.l
Everything b ing in readiness
three men in their shirt sleeves cam,
up to the box. and, by u natural i'm
pulse there Was. a scattering of visi.
tors. Some Of the gentlemen
a~bsurdedlv timid, went up a flight O
stairs and looked ut the proceeding.
through q trap dOOr-thus getting
better view. The three scientists al
once began operations. The sliding
lid was unscrewed. One Of the coat.
, less men had u stick with a sponge as
! big as an apple tied to it. and q
bottle Of chlOroforln. Another had a
pair of long pincers, while the other
acted AZ the snakes door keeper. The
word ''All ready" was said, the lid
was slowly moved back a little, and
the end of the pincers IA inserted
in the aperture. Bump, bump, bump,
went the snakes head against the
top of his box, and the tail sang a
merry song. The man with the
pincers knew what he was about, and
cautiously he thrust his pjncers in.
Snar! aud everybody shuddered.
Then what rafting, what twisting!
it seemed AS ii the reptile would burst
his slender cage. How he pulled and
ceiled and writhed! But the pincers
mar was strong, and in u second or
two MIR. Snakes nose was through
the aperture.
The lid man was cool, and watched
sharp that a larger opening was not
forced than was necessary. Finally
fhn I1n0d oxsns nc sNaat aud 0I,,AI
his whole head was out of the box,
and the pincers held his neck like y
wise. How he writhed and rateled!
Quick as lightning the gentleman
with the sponge and bottle was doing
bis part. He poured the chlorotorm
upon the sponge and jammed the
sponge into the monsters great red
mouth. The mouth closed, and 1t
was forced open again aud more
ch.OrOform poured down him. Then
the pincers man with his left hand
seized the reptile by the neck and
released the pincers, which fell to the
stone floor with a rattle. Horror! it
was not a pretty sight; q man bold
ing by the throat y monster whose
bite was instant death, but he held
him. nevertheless. for it was in the
interest Of science. Then more chlor-
oform was poured into him. At
about this juncture everybody was
pretty we'll excited but the pincers
man. He very coolly took a small
pair Of pincers from the table, put
his head down 20 hat he could see,
and with the little pincers he pulled
out the big fang. Of the reptile and
laid them, one after the either. On Il |
white sheet OF paper. They were
an inch long. BY this time
the snake did not see.s, to be particu-
interested i'm science or anything
else, SO they pulled him out OF his
box and Strengthened him on the
floor, tie pincers man keeping his
grip at the neck. The reptile was
but he lost over 4 foot in
1t was explained that he
had shrunk from the effects of the
c%hIOrOforul, and so it seemed, for his
seem.d twice its size. He
a dead snake, sure enough.
His writings had stopped, his rattles
still. So he was put back Into
mis- little box and the lid screwed
He deliberately coiled him
'elf up, but the rincers man told Tue
he snake was dead. aud didn't mean
anything 10y it in fact, didn't know
hat he had coiled himself up. A.
plaster cast is the ultimate end of
his Florida monster.
Not From Monkeys, but Bears.