The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-21
BoAs IN A DEADLY COMBAT.
An Exciting Duel for a Mate in {
Brazilian Forest.
From the San Francisco Chronicle

oTdZlllan CREST
From the San Francisco Chronicle.
Brazil is the home of the most gigantic
boa constructors in the world - said Henry
! Closer of Metropolis, O., the professional
snake hunter and dealer, known to circus
and museum managers throughout the
| country as Big Doc'' anu old Dollar a
Foo" that being his market price for
ordinary SNAKES. ION my last trip to
Brazil after snakes" he said to a New
| York sun reporter, Il didn't meet with
the success expected to, out l brought
back one of the best snake stories,
think, that ever came from the land of
serpents.
"Boas, both male and female often
| light tercely over prey that one snake
has captured and which another one
! coVets, and at certain periods of the year
! deadly com bats between male boas are
/ frequent, the fight being over the posses
sion of female for a mate. l. was sight
! such as this that l witnessed one day in
| the depths of Brazilian forest. I wasn't
| out Tor snakes that day, either. 1t had
| gone prepared to catch boas On that occa-
sion, should have bagged two of the big
| gesG snakes that e er came from Brazil or
| any other land of snakes.
Il was out taking a business look
around after some rare specimens of
/ MONKEYS. | had chased a choice long
tailed fellow up tree and was trying my
| wlles on him, when | was startled by
| loud Kissing sound that came from an
! other part OF the forest, like a gust of
! wind escaping from some narrow space.
| | looked in the direction of the sound, and
to my surprise saw two enormous boas on
| the ground, locked together and wriUhing
and twisting In such desperate struggle
| that big punches of leaves were sent NY
ing about in the air as if they had been
! disturbed and lifted by whirlwind
Then it was that l groaned aloud and
metaphorically kicked myself because L
! had not gone forth loaded 4or snake, for
would have corralled both of those gigan-
tic serpents before they knew it.
There are many varieties of monkeys
! In the Brazilian forests, and every one of
/ them is tooJhsome morsel to the boa
| Usually person may know that one of
| these great reptiles has come to hunt in the
| woods by the wild scampering of all kinds
] of monkeys through the trees, flying from
possible capture by the boa AT the same
time there must be peculiar fascination
to these monkeys in fight between boas,
for this particular battle had not been
going on three minutes before the trees all
around the spot were filled with monkeys,
chattering and screaming enough to make
steam calliope player jealous. With the
snake fight of of the bills this aggrega-
greatest show on earth to me, but it
wasn't anywhere near in it with the fight.
The fierce struggle on the ground
lasted five minutes, and then the boas
suddenly separated. One serpent glided
to large tree near by and went up its
trunk like spiral flash of lightning The
other snake flashed in the same way up
another tree fifteen feet distant from the
first one. 1 feared that the fight had
| come TO an end, because one of the snakes
| seemed 10 be afraid and the other one
daresn't.
But I soon saw that was mistaken
| The snakes had hardly settled themselves
among the branches of their respective
trees when the foliage of both trees began
to shake and culver as if a wind were
passing through and agitating them.
Suddenly each boa, coiling its tail around
branch high up in its tree, dropped like
plummet toward the ground and hung
at full length its head raised but
a few inches above the ground.
For a moment their great bodies
swayed to and fro like slowly
like fire. Then each serpent drew itself
quickly half its len eth above the ground.
| Like an arrow, each head shot forward,
and instantly the two enormous reptiles
were locked in each others coils, like i'm
mense cables twisted together.
up and down, to and fro, the writhing
mass moved In quick undulation, each
serpent struggling for an opening that
would place the other at disadvantage.
Their forked tongues darted in and out
of their mouths like jets of flame, and
their kissing was incessant. The troops
of chattering monkey spectators had
been loined by hundreds of harshvoiced
but brilliantly plumed birds, which
flew franticslly about, and added their
{ oria n tho Aaa fan OonulKaU
chorus.
The desperate mid-air struggle be-
tween the boas continued for several
minutes, when they separated again as
suddenly as they had rushed together,
! and each drew itself back among the
branches OF its tree. For two or three
minutes the snakes lay quietly, each glar-
! ing at the other.
"Suddenly in one of the trees a hiss
! like escaping steam was heard, and the
boa in that tree shot his great length
toward the ground again The challeng-
ing hiss was answered by one still louder
from the other boa, and it flashed down
to its former position and confronted its
foe The boas did not rush together at
once One would strike at the other with
the rapidity of lightning. With equal
[ ouickness that one would avoid the rush
bv lodging to one side or the other, and
and instantly make counter attack,
| This interes ting sparring match lasted
for at least five minutes, when one Of the
snakes drew itself two or three feet above
the other and made a quick downward
feint. Its antagonist ducked its head
lower to avoid the stroke. and that move
ment was fatal. The upper boa darted
ON down, and so quick was its deadly in
tention carried out that ! was not aware
IL had been done until ! saw the upper
snake with three Of its coils around the
lower one.
There was a dreadful crunching Of
homes and In the twinkliug OF an eye the
victorious snake had drawn the van
ouished one three folds further within It's
fearful embra O. There was more
crunching OF bones, and by degrees the
tail OF the de Gated serpent uncoied from
ms hold on the branch Of the tree and AZ
last the great reptile dropped heavily % |
10 the ground, crushed, liteless mass. |