West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1889-12-26
A BIG A K APPETITE.l
HOW A BoA-CoNsrRICToR pINEp
OFF A LITTLE RABBIT.
NOT a Pretty Sight-Breaking a Two
Months Fast-The Peculiar Act OF
Swallowing.

Not a Pretty Sight-Breaking a Two
Months Fast-The Peculiar Act OF
Swallowing.
Did you ever see a snake swallow a
rabbit Not Well, perhaps it is Just
as well for you that you haven't. You
would be apt TO think il over too much
afterward, when the recollection would
not be altogether a pleasant one. But
tho reporter saw it yesterday, and here
is the way Of it: The side of the box in
which the snakes were kept was removed
and two little white rabbits were
dropped in. This is the way they
looked when they first made the big ser
penis acquaintance.
II it isn't a pretty picture, il IL a very
true one, aud in real life was mighty in
teresting, too.
The snake was a boa-constrictor, eleven
feet long. He had made his last meal
about two months ago, and was getting
a trifle hungry, so his owner decided
yesterday 20 give him something to eat.
No, that is wrong; il should read, TO give
her something to eat. For-for some
unexplained reason-those who handle
big snakes always speak of them in tho
feminine gender, They do this without
any regard TO the snakes sex, BE that
ms 1t may, however, it was decided 10
give the snake a square meal yesterday,
and as a boa will not eat anything UNI
less ''she" kills it ''herself" first, it
was necessary TO provide a live animal
for her. Rabbits being soft, tender,
easily digested animals, and also cheap,
are generally chosen TO feed the boas
and pythons which are kept in cap
tivity here until there is a call for them
by some ''snake charmer.n IL was n very
young and inexperienced rabbit that was
chosen TO feed the big boa yesterday.
The snake was in a deep dry goods box,
where she had been put to be fed. The
little white innocent rabbit was lifted
from its cage by its long ears and
dropped gently into the box with the
snake. lie had never seen n snake be
fore in his brief experience, and was not
at all frightened. He went up TO the
boa and smelled her and walked over
her, and seemed inclined to make friends
with her. The boa did not seem TO
notice the rabbit at first.
When she did sec him she at once col
lected herself and drew back her head
preparatory 10 striking That is the
technical name given to the vicious bite
with which the snakes grab their victims.
One often reads Of the way that snakes
charm rabbits and birds before they can
ture and eat them, and the. reporter stood
up alongside the box and looked in to see
the interesting performance for himself.
But he didn't see anything of the sort.
The rabbit was not charmed in the least.
He did not tremblc and rivet his eyes on
the glittering little black beads in the
snakes head. He didn't seem 10 take in
his position. From his actions he
evidently thought that he was destined
to live to n good old ge.
Suddenly there was a dart of the boa's
head forward and her cruel laws armed
with rows Of needle-like teeth, closed
with a snap on the little rabbits head.
The movement was so sudden and rapid
that it was difficult to follow il with the
eye. The rabbit gave one little squeak,
but as quick as thought the boa had
wound fold after fold OF its length about
its victims body, and was squeezing it
with deadly force. There was no more
breath left in the rabbits body. Prac-
tically he was dead the instant that the
first coil had been wound about him. He
struggled convulsively for n moment, IL
is true, but it was merely muscular con
traction, not done on purpose.
1t must have been fully five minutes
before the snake again showed any signs
OF being alive, so still and ~motionless
was she. Then she relaxed the terrible
pressure Of her coils a little and began
the act proper of swallowing. This was
performed in q very peculiar way. 10 did
not seem like swallowing so much as it
did like absorbing. The snake just drew
herself over the rabbit as a glove is drawn
on over a hand, and as she did so her
jaws stretched wider and wider until II
seemed that they must part at the place
where they joined togethe.. It is mar.
velous how much a boa CONSTRUCTOR
jaws and neck can stretch without tear
ing apart. Wider and wider stretched
those jaws and less and less could be
seen OF the rabbit as he was gradually en-
veloped. At last, after about fifteen
minutes had passed in this way, nothing
but the hind feet OF the rabbit could be
seen. Then these, too, disappeared, and,
with a co~nvulsive movement Of the
snakes body near the head, the swallow.
ing process was completed. It took only
about ten minutes more for the lump
caused by the rabbits body to pass down
the snake from her head TO about
eighteen inches below it.. Then she
crawled over into "a cerner and coiled her
self up TO digest her meal. This will
take her a week OF two. New YorI
EoeHjHg Sun.