The herald., 1895-02-07
rwo EXPERTS ON ZIG SNAKES.


| JsmrAeh Onsrs $50, 600 for z0-Foot
| Hnsk~-wh-t Mr.. st~-d,inx Thinks.
| That certain great snakes attain length OF
more than 20 feet is generally admitted, says
the New York World Whether they ever grow
as long 40 feet is a question about which
| there is considerable doubt, but which cannot
be positively answered in the negative.
| 1t is fascinating to think of reptile that can
repose its tail in the bedroom OF a house while
it eats in the dlning-room three stories below.
1t must at times be made to feel lonely by the
thought OF the immense distance which separ-
ates large part of its body from its head, but
there are, no doubt compensations Food and
drink, passing from its mouth to its stomach
should We IL prolonged enjoyment such as
no other animal can hope for
Jamrach, one Of the largest animal dealers in
London, has announced that he will pay
$4,000 for asnake 80 or more feet in length
and $50, 900 for one 40 feet or more in length.
His object is probably to get all advertisement
for himself, and he has succeeded. No price
approaching $4,000 has ever been paid for
show animal.
Donald Burns the New York animal dealer,
says that he never knew OF a snake 40 feet or
even 30 feet long. 1t is therefore safe to offer
afabulous sum for such reptile.
The longest snake Mr.. Burns ever had in his
possession was Brazilian anaconda IS feet
long. This one weighed over 200 pounds and
diameter, The skin OF anaconda which he
once measured was 25 feet long The men
who caught it alleged that the snake when
alive measured 80 feet.
1t is difficult to measure a snake accurately.
1t is emoat impossible to persuade a large,
well-developed reptile to stretch itself per-
fectly straight for this purpose
An English expert on snakes, Arthur Strad-
ling in letter to the London Standard, COM
NJ In, tal-a
view OF the subject than Mr.. Burns. He an
nounces that he expects to earn the $4,000 and
will try for the $4,000. He refers to recorded
cases of snakes which have measured 80 feet.
He has seen the skin OF anaconda rs feet
long and of the girth OF a bullock, on exhibit
ton in Rio Janero. But this, he admits. was
proba bly, composed of number of skins sewn
together.
lie alleges that he has measured a dead ana
conda and found it to be 81 feet IA inches,
without counting the head which had been
smashed.
"AHother member Of the same Species" says
Mr.. stradling, twas seen by me near Mahaica,
in Guiana, a cending narrow ditch:in such
position of extension as to permit of subse-
quent calculation by measurement of ground
with fair presumption OF accuracy, by which
| means we came to the conclusion that it was
at least "A feet long.
Moreover, q great African traveller, a man
of world wide reputation in another branch of
science and a mos. exact observer has assured
me- that he has measured n python which he
found dead in stream at So feet; and l have
in my possession fragments of skins and
sloughs the scales OF which indicate lat their
original owners must have boosted a magni-
tude equal to any OF these"
Mr.. stradling believes that by nourishing
snake properly he can increase Its growth
greatly. He says that snakes, both wild and in
captivity, are underfed. III order to gein the
$50, 900 he will feed his snacondas on bullocks
if necessary.
| The sober-m nded Mr. Burns, on the other
hand, does not accept this theory. He says
| that he has watched a big snake Tor ten years
and has not seen any appreciable growth. He
has offered an anaconda all it wanted to cat
but he has nsver known one to eat very hearth
ly in this country
Mr.. Burus. OF course, cannot swear that there
are no anacondas 40 feet long in the swamps
and unprecedented forests of the Amazon.
These snakes live most OF the time in the
| water and it is very difficult and delicate
matter to approach them.