Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1889-04-04
VENOMoUS REPTILES.
Careful Experiments Showing How The
Bring Down Their Prey.

Careful Experiments Showing How They
Bring Down Their Prey.
DR. Oswald, happening to be in Mat
amoras, Mex, when an amateur col
-lector was selling out a choice collec-
tion of snakes, he bought cage con-
tanning male and female of these
speclled ophidians. He first tried
them with mouse, but either through
fastidiousness or laziness they tarried
so long that the mouse got away. Next
day he treated them to nest with five
young sparrows in it. Three OF these
died before their snakeships conde-
scended to partake, while old spar
rows, rats and cockroaches were tried
with no better success.
One morning the gamins of the
neighborhood caught an old black bird
two pieces OF stick candy, and the
snakes, who had tasted for twenty
four hours rather than eat cock
reaches, got chance for square
meal After huttering around in an
excited way for awhile the bird set
tied down in a corner and the snakes
prepared for action. They lowered
their heads, and, without moving the
tail-ends OF their bodies, approached
the bird by gradual extension
of their coils, but the bird
was all suspicion and recommended
his futtering before their cat-like ad-
vance had brought them within range.
The snakes separated then; the female
rolled herself up in the blackbird's
corner and her mate took post in the
center OF the cage, but after readjust-
ing their coils neither budged AN inch;
they bided their time Dashing his
head against the cage seemed to tire
the bird after awhile. Presently. he
alighted in rather inaccessible place,
took wing again, and alighting in his
old corner, finally blundered into the
waterproof. He hoped out with
drenched wings and devoted few
seconds to the Encouragement of his
toilet unconscious or needless Of the
proximity of the female partner of the
hostile alliance. She watched all his
movements, and her tail quivered in a
curious way when she saw him poke
his head under the right wing, the one
turned toward her corner. She seemed
to know that he would repeat the same
maneuver on the left-my side. He
did so, and she had him directly.
Drawing herself up she poised her
neck like dart, braced herself and
let drive. A loud screech, few feath-
ers flying and terrified bird darting
about like a blind chicken cause and
effect coincided with shot-like sudden
ness
Instead of following the bird the
snake returned to her favorite nook,
where she was soon after joined by
her mate. The difficult part of the
job was done. Three or four times
the bird managed to take wing, stag.
gered around in a circle once or twice
and then sat still. The chemicals be.
gan to operate. First its legs and
then its wings commenced to tremble;
trying to stand upright, it put its feet
farther and farther apart and finally
spread its wings, but to no purpose.
A sconvulsive tremor seized it, and
with gasp it fell over on its side, and
only at that moment did the snakes
glide up to take possession of their
prey. The same experiment was tried
with a ground squirrel and two half
grown chickens, and always with ar
analogous result No animal likely
to offer serious resistance was capt
ured outright by the snakes. They
managed to fetch it bite and let il
go. relying on the virus to do the rest
San Francisco Chronicle.