The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1888-08-03
An Intelligent Snake.
A True Story.

True story.
| Harpcr's Young People.
| An American lady from Virginia was spend
ing sometime in Paris, and one day was asked
to go with some French and English friends
to the Jardin des Plantes. After wandering
about Tor sometime in the gardens, it was
suggested that they go round by the serpent
house. The lady from Virginia, who had an
unConquerable dread of snakes of all kinds
objected strongly but finding that the rest
all wanted to go, and yet were too polite to
leave her behind, she at last consented. Once
near the row of cages, however, she begged
| the others to go on aud see what they wanted
! la, leaving her to wait for them there. One
English lady preferred remaining behind also;
50, after some lit e talk, the two ladies were
lett standing atone side of the first cage,
where glimpses Of a tOrpid-looking snake
from beneath the folds of an old blanket on
the floor of the cage had been enough to
! Brighten both ladies from going any farther.
The conversation until now had been entirely
in French, but as the rest of the party moved
on, the two lett behind began talking in
English.
With the first words the English lady spoke
the torpid snake began moving uneasily. AS
the Virginia lady answered her, and went on
talking at some length, the snake grew more
and more restless, Till it finally showed every
sign of intense excitement
Evidently" said the English lady, chats
q snake who understands English"
They laughed little and moved away, the
dreadful head pressing so near the wires of
the cage unnerviug both ladies for u longer
stay. But as they came out in front of the
cage, and looked up to the label to see what
the creature exactly was, they read, to their
establishment, CrOtaIus I1yiniensS, or "Vir
ginian rattlesnake."
think of it ~ exclaimed the American
lady; "he not only knows English, but he
recognizes my Virginia dialect"
The whole affair seemed so uncanny that
they began to think they would rather move
on and join their friends. The gentlemen,
however, when the story was told, were so
anxious to see the experiment themselves
that the American lady consented to conquer
her dread again, and go back to the first cage.
When they reached it the snake was again
lying torpidly on the floor. Conversation
was begun in French, quite rapidly and very
loudly, to see whether 1t would be reused by
the mere noise.
1t paid no attention to them, however, till
the English lady spoke in her native tongue,
when the slight restlessness at once began
again; and as soon as the lady from Virginia
had uttered a few sentences the creature was
baletul fire in its narrowed eyes that the
nerves of the lady could bear it no longer,
even in the interests of science, and she beat
a retreat.
She was urged to go to the garden again
and again by scientists anxious to make
every experiment possible, but she found |
herself utterly unable to face the creature,
even with iron bars and wires between. She |
assures me that the whole party said it was
impossible TO doubt but that the rattlesnake |
did recognize the language and the dialect.
The srangest part of such a thing would |
naturally be that the rattlesnake, unlike any |
domestic animal or bird, could not have |
heard much talk from human beings, owing |
to the secrecy of its movements and the OBJ |
security OF its haunts. Whatever recollection |
of the language it had carried with it across
the sea when it was sent to France must have |
come from that one encounter with Virgin |
ians when it was captured, its very evident |
association with the Virginia accent being !
one TO enrage it beyond measure