Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1884-05-01
SNAKE FOOn.
A Baltimore Shop Where Menus for Serprnts
Nav Be Found.

was III such IN out-ol-th'-WHN place'
that 1t attracted the attention oi an
american representatives and opening
the anclcnt-looking door under the
sign ne entered Il muSty' close niue
shop filled with cages and pens. No
one seemed at home except Few
young chic kenS in the pens and Il few
rabbits and guinea pigs in the cages.
Suddenl y an old man popped through
a door leading from the back part OF
the house. lie looked curlousl ly at his
visitor, and, nodding his head. asked
him to SIT down. The newspaper man
seated himself on the top OF an empty
cage and made known the object of
his visit.
Well, began the old man, I'VE
don have much ca,l for that article
now, for people don't keep snakes
much as pets, but usc it rs Il sort of
advertisement, for it brings people in
here, Just rs 1t dld you. Snake food,
you know, only includes chickens, rab-
bits rats, and such, and 50 keep these
things here, and il have amy call for
the food | have it handy. Now and
then the museum people come for a
rabbit or guinra-pig, and | sell them,
but snakes don feed often. There are
Il number of large snakes ON cNhibi-
iion in This city, and they only feed
about once every month or 80. When
they are shedding their skins they
won eat at all, but they 20 blind, and
don't eat anything they can't see.
When they are shedding their skins
they give Il great blow at thrirmouthS,
and this Ioosrns the skin, and it comes
oil from the head and they crawl out.
Then they are very hungry and will
eat anything, Some snake, won / eat
in the daytime; others won I eat when
there is 4 crowd looking on, but these
snakes in Baltimore will eat at any
time.
"hayc You ever seen Il snake eat?
No' We'll. You put chicken in one
of the python dcns, no matter if it is
an old hen or rooster, or even Il rabbit
or guinca-pig; but suppose we say Il
hen. Well, the snake begin, to charm
her, and after succeeding in placing
her under his control, he is ready
AS quick ~ lightning he springs at
her; catching her bcak in his mouth, .
he wraps one coil of his body around
her body and sIurczeS it; then equally
rs quick he throws another coil, and
so on. The snake then retreats and
advances and grabs the hen by the
head and deliberately begins to Swal-
low her.
suppose the animal is too large
for the mouth of the snake asked
The Amcricai man.
That's the funny pant" answered
old Snakr-food man. III the aninal's
body is too large the snake will throw
Il coil of its body around its victim
and draw it through his, just as il you
were pulling wire. Thus the animal
becomes 'lcngthcncd sweetness long
drawn out, and is made of sufficient
size for the snakes throat.
"Docs he eat feathers and all?"
Feathers and all! no matter what
is in the chicken. As the pokcr-playcr
would say, All gocs. You remember .
Il year or 80 ago, Il number of baby
snakes were born in this city. Well, .
You should have seen those little rep
tiles eat mice. They went for them .
exactly as the big ones eat rabbits or .
tull-grOwn chickens. There is Il large
snake on exhibition here now, the lar .
gcst in captivity. He'll eat pig
weighing twenty-five or thirty pounds .
and ask for more. They tcllmc he has .
not eaten anything for some months .
now, and is getting thin. So | sug-
gcStcd to the owner the other day that
he force the animal to eat or he .
would die. You know, they won't .
eat anything that is dead They
must kill it themselves. A few
days ago the owner followed my
instructions. Two men held open the
snakes mouth and the owner cut oil a
chickens head and held the body down
the boa's throat, and You should have
seen him suck the blood. He is look
ing better now. Talking about snakes
food, | once heard a story told me by
Il Spanish teacher living in this city,
which takes the cake. He said that
one day, while hunting in Brazil, his
guide came rushing back and told the
party to be careful, for in front of
them was a snake sixty feet in length,
The snake had just finished eating a
deer, but had been unable to swallow
its horns, and they were still sticking
out Of the snakes mouth. The gen
'N''''' '''i' ~ W ". :" '''''''''' '''''s1 ~