The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-10-17
THE SMITHSONIAN SNAKES.
To Have New Quarters, Where the Gay
Plumaged Ones from Africa will Shine.

! PIumaged Ones from Africa will Shine.
There is a change in store for the
reptlllan department Of the Smithson-
ian, which up to the present time has
occupied quarters up under the roof
IN the back building of the old institu-
! tlon. 1t is quiet, secluded nook, to
be sure, shut off from the rest of the
building by winding stone staircase
and defended by number of heavy
doors, which are kept shut in case Of
the escape of any Of the inmates Of the
department, and there is always the
pleasing possibility for lay visitor to
the snake sanCtum to meet a rattler or
boa, or some other bird of gorgeous
plumsge, strolling down the narrow
stairway. But soon these things will
be changed, and the department will
have new quarters over in the National
Museum building, where there will be
much more light, air and working space
than at present, and where, with the
additional shelf space at command,
there will be some hope Of arranging
the collection for display purposes.
One of the latest collections received
IS from Central America, where Mr..
Richmond, one of the gentlemen who
has done a good deal Of collecting for
the department, has lately gathered a
large supply Of snakes, many of them
rare species, but which have not vet
been handled or classified.
The collection of snakes to which
Professor Stelneger is now devoting the
most OF his available time is lot lately
received from Est Africa, where they
were collected by Mr. Chanler. In the
present lot, which have been partly
selected and classified, there are, strange
to say, but two venomous snakes, one
the black-necked cobra, and the other
delicate sky-blue specimen as yet un-
named.
If one may judge from the collection,
the snakes of Africa are a very morbid
and melancholy set, and blue is the
color chiefly affected by them, there
being number of specimens of bright
ceruean hue, the most Of them tree
snakes, blunt-tailed specimens Of a low
organization, probably the sans culotte
OF snakedom. One of these, however,
was f rather gorgeous color, being
light below and dark above the orange
colored trimmings on the side.
There were also in the collection a
number of specimens of the true cha
meeon, which, probably through dis
gust at their immersion in the alcohol
bath, had turned blue like the three
snakes and remained fixed color,
dyed in the wool" as it were.
One of the interesting specimens of
the collection is an infant cioco die of
very tender age, probably but lately
emerged from the she'll There are
lizards innumerable, toads, and tree
frogs, and many other attractions too
numerous TO mention, and it is more
than likely that out of the collection
there will be obtained some new speci-
mems not before described.
The Smithsonian has the privilege of
naming any OF the specimens not
already described, but after taking their
pick OF the collection the remainder is
to be sent to Vienna in the name Of
Lieutenant Hoenel, an Austrian army
officer, who is travelling with Mr..
Chsnler.
There has been another collector,
DR.. Abbott of Philadelphia, in the East
African field within short time past,
who has also made quite valuable col
ections OF reptiles and animals for the
Smithsonian, SO that this region, which
heretofore has been poorly represented
n the Smithsonian collection, bids fair
to rank well to the front with the rest
OF the great collection. Washington
Post