The Bessemer indicator., 1893-12-16

Nobody makes an intimate friend Of
. snake. Popular natural history
books are filled and running over
with anecdotes OF varying elegance
and mendacity, setting forth extra
ordinary cases OF Affection and CO.
operation between . cat and q mouse.
horse and hen, pig and cock
roach, = camel and o lobster, COW
and wheelbarrow, and SO on; but
there Is never snake In one OF these
quaint alliances. Snakes do not do
that sort OF thing, and the anecdote
designers imagination has not yet
risen to that feat OF compelling them,
although the stimulus OF competi-
tion may soon cause 1t. The case most
nearly approaching one of friendship
between man and snake known to me
is the case OF Tyrrell. the zoo snake-
keeper. and his GLADLY worms." But
then the friendship Is mostly on
lyrroll's side and. moreover. Tyrrell
is rather moro than human, as any
one will admit who sees him hang
boa-constrictors.
The prairie marmot and tho bur-
rowing owl come into neighbprly
contact with tho rattlesnakc, but tho
acquaintance does not quite amount
to friendship The prairie marmot
takes lot OF trouble and builds a
nice burrow. and then the owl. who
Is only slovenly sort OF architec t
himself, comes along and takes
apartments. 1t has never been quito
settled whether or not tho lodger and
the landlord agrce pleasantly to-
gether, but in the absence OF any
positive evidence they may be given
credit for perfect amiability; because
nobody has found traces Of owl in a
dead marmot's interior. nor of mar
mot In an owls. But the rattlespake
is another thing.
Ducks will approach snake
curiously, inwardly debating the
possibility Of digesting SO big a worm
at one meal; tho moving tail-tip
they will peck at cheerfully. This
was the sort Of thing that one might
have observed for himself years ago
here at the zoo. at the time when the
snakes lived In the old house in
blankets. because of the unsteadines $
Of the thermometer and were fed in
public. Now tho snakes arc fed in
strict privacy lest tho sight oversct
the morals OF visitors; the killing OF
bird, rabbit, or rat by snake
being almost a quarter as unpleasant
to look upon as the killing of tho
same animal By man in farm-yard
or elsewhere. Tho abject terror
inspired by the presence Of q snake
Is such that an innocent rat will set
to gnawing the snakes tail In default
OF more usual provender; while a
rabbit placed with snake near
skin-shedding timo will placidly
nibble the loose rags OF epidermis.
Tho pig treats the snake with dis
respect, not to say insolence; nothing,
ophidian or otherwise, can fascinate
pig. II your back garden is in
fested with rattlesnakes you should
keep pigs The pig dances con
temptuously on tho rattlesnake, and
eats him with much relish. rattles
and all. The last emotion OF the
rattlesnake is intense astonishment
and astonishment Is natural. in the
circumstances. A respectable and
experienced rattlesnake. many years
established In business, has been &C.
customed to spread panic every where
within ear shot; every thing capable
of motion has started off at the
faintest rustic Of hi. rattles. and his
view Of animal life from those ex-
pressionless eyes has invariably been
q back view, and u rapidly diminish
ing one. After a lifelong expert
ence OF this sort to be unceremoni-
ously rushed upon by q common pig,
to be jumped upon, to be fouted, to
be shouted, to be treated as SO much
swill. and finally to be made snack
of-this causes feeling OF very
natural and painful surprise in the
rattlcsnake. But rattlesnake is
surprised in this way once, AMI he is
said to improve the pork.
As tour de force in the gentler
art Of lying. the snake story is Justly
esteemed. The old story OF two
snakes swallowing each other from
the tail till both disappeared; the
story OF the snake that took its own
tail in Its mouth and trundled after
its victim like hoop; the story OF a
man who chopped snake in hall
just as it was boiling rat. 80 that
the rat merely toddled through the
foremost half and escaped-all Of
these have been beaten out OF sight
In the West At present Brazil
claims the record for absolute length
of the snakes themselves.
Hero, among number OF viperine
snakes Of about the same size, is a
snake that lives on eggs.
He Is about as thick us q lead PEN
Gil. but that doesn't prevent his swsl-
lowing a large pigeons egg whole,
nor even hens egg at a pinch. II
dislocates his jaw. but that is part
OF his professional system, and when
the business is over he calmly joints
up his jaw again and goes to sleep.
He is eccentric, even for q snake, and
wears his teeth on his backbone
where they may break the egg-shell
so that he may spit it away.
When he first stretched his head
around an egg, the viperine snakes
In the same case hastily assumed him
to be q very large tadpole and since
tadpoles are regarded with CASTRO
nomical affection by viperine snakes,
they began an instant chase. each
prepared to, swallow tho entire pho
nomenon, because 9 snake never hes
itates to swallow anything merely on
account Of its size When finally
the egg swallower broke the egg aud
presented to their gaze the crumbled
she'll, tho perplexed viperines sub.
sided and retired to remote corners
OF tho case TO think tho matter over
and forget It. like the crowd dispers-
ed by the circulating hat Of the
street conjuror.