Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-07-30

| PENIS.
| While Mr.. Thompson was showing a
specimen Of the king snake to the wri-
ter, child came and told him that one
Of the white mice was dead. Mr..
Thompson went TO the white mouse,
and, taking the little dead body by the
tail, held it over the king snake, after
opening the latter's cage. The snake.
in its eager dart TO get the mouse,
would have got out upon the floor if
Mr.. Thompson had not pushed it back.
Finally the snake seized the mouse by
the head. The diameter of the snakes
neck was smaller than that Of the body
of the mouse, but the elasticity Of the
serpent's head and neck was shown
when the mouse began to slip down its
throat, the operation being effected by
a writing performance on the part Of
the snake.
The king snake is given a bed of
stones and gravel in his cage. Dead
garter-snakes, mice, and birds are put
in the cage for him. II is seldom ne
cessary to put live food in the snake
cages or tanks, except in the case of
newly-arriyed rattlesnake or other ven
omous serpent. Mr.. Thompson says it
is difficult to train venomOus snakes to
eat in captivity. lie has one large dia-
nond rattlesnake which, he says, has
eaten nothing for seven months. 1t was
very fat when it stopped eating, and
has lived upon its own flesh. Its ply
steal condition is not yet so much re-
duced as to oblige Mr.. Thompson to
resort to the rather dangerous means Of
forcing chopped-up meat down the
snakes throat by blowing the food
through glass-tube.
DIr. Thompson says that the large
rattlesnake referred to is about eighteen
years old, though it has only six rattles.
The number of rattleS is not always an
indication of the age Of the snake, be-
cause the rattles are often lost by acct
dent or disease. There are three smaller
rattleSnakeS, which have refused to eat
nliye prey for some time past. There
is one rattleSnake in the collection
which feeds voluntarily. 1t is of the
banded " variety. If dead animal
is given him he does not use his poison
Gus fsngS, but swallows the food just
as the king snake and other serpents do.
His method Of attacking live prey is
somewhat different from the water
moccasin. lie stabs it with his poison
GUS fangs repeatedly, letting 60 to await
the effects. The water moccasin sell
dom lets 60 after making the first bite.
The copperhead's manner of striking
live prey is similar to that Of the rattle
snake. The copperhead and rattle
snake are said to be the only poisonous
serpents found in Pennsylvania. There
is small variety Of rattlcsnake, about
eighteen or twenty inches long, repre-
sented in the 1900" called the mill
tary snake, which feeds himself. lie
and the cOpperheads get along nicely in
the same cage. Mr.. Thompson thinks
that all the poisonous snakes might he
put together without danger to their
lives, as he has often seen them bite
one another, and never knew the bite
TO result fatally.
The description Of the king snakes |
manner of eating will answer for the
black snake and other harmless ser
penis at the ''Zoo." In the cage of !
the black snake is tree branch to give |
it limited facilities for indulging in its !
fayorite paStimc of climbing, an exer-
else in which it is an expert. All |
these harmless snakes are termed con-
strictorS, and, whenever necessary, coil /
around their prey to crush it before
swallowing.
The snake power Of kissing is exem-
plilied to a remarkable degree in the /
big, ugly, grayiSh pine snake Of New /
Jersey and elsewhere. This snake is
not poisonous, but it is said there are .
many New Jersey husbandmcn who |
would not believe the statement. In /
side the lower jaw is whistle forma-
ton, which enables these snakes, after +
filling their body with air, to make the /
dreaded kissing sound. There is pc /
cular sensitiycnesS in the tails of many
snakes, and. in no serpent at the
"Zoo is this more readily seen than
in the pine snake. When its tail is
touched it will glide away as fast as it 1
can, but when it is leased by touching
some other part of its body it will give .
vent to its madness by kissing, Mr.. /
Thompson says that even rattleSnakes /.
can be routed if person only has /
a chance to toy with their tails.
TAKING OUT a BATTLEsNAKE's
VENOM.
Mr. Thompson explains how he takes |
the yenomous liquid from the mouths
of rattlesnakeS. He has collected a
considerable quantity of the venom for
DIR. 5. Weir Mitchell, who, it is said,
has been engaged for some time in the
work Of asccrtsinins the component
parts Of the poison. Mr.. Thompson
uses laSsO - formed of a long stick,
to which leather strip is fastened so
SIS to form loop at one end. \ per-
son holding the longer end and pulling
the strap tightens the loop about the
neck Of the snake, and then Mr.. Thomp-
son, by Selling the neck of the ser
pent with his right hand, forces its
mouth open. With plate held in his
left hand he collects the venom as the
iangs of the snake are vainly operating
on the chinaware or glass. \ large dia-
mond rsttlesnakc will deposit tea
spoonful Of the poison, which is of a
deep-yellow color, and looks something
like melted butter. After the poison
has been in a bottle for some time it
changes into small, yellow crystals.
sheriff. EnjOincd from Collecting
SRxes FROM she Chesapeake aud Ohio
Railway.
IBy telegraph to the Dispatch.l