Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1895-01-10
DUEL FOR A NATE IN a BRA
LILLIAN FOREST.
GREAT SNAKES FIGHT TO
DEATH.
Trees In the Neighborhood FILLED With
Chattering. Screeching Monkeys
Clever Sparring for an Opening
A Thrilling EncouDter-A Female
in the Case. as Usual.

Brazil is the home of the most 81
gantic 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 and "Old Dollar a Foot, !"
that being his market price for ordi
nary snakes. ION my last trip to Bra
I'll after snakes | didn't meet with the
success / expected to, but | brought
back one OF the best snake stories, /
think, that ever came from that land
of serpents.
'Boas, both male and female, often
fight fiercely over prey that one snake
has captured and which another one
coyets, and at certain seasons of the
year deadly combats between male
boas are freqeunt, the fight being over
the possession of female for mate.
1t was a sight such as this that | wit
messed one day in the depths of a Bra
lillian forest. l wasn't out after snakes
that day, either. If | had gone pre-
pared to capture boas on that occasion
| should have bagged two OF the big
gest snakes that ever came from Bra
I'll or any other land of snakes
II was out taking business look
around after some rare specimens Of
monkeys had chased a choice long
tailed fellow up tree and was trying
my wiles on him, when L was startled
by a loud kissing sound that came
from another part Of the forest like
a gust of wind escaping from narrow
space. | looked in the direction of the
sound, and to my surprise, saw two
enormous boas on the ground, locked
together, and writing and twisting IN
such a desperate struggle that big
punches of lAaves were sent flying
about in the air as if they had been
disturbed and lifted by a whirlwind
Then it was that ! groaned aloud
and metaphorically kicked myself be-
cause l had not gone forth loaded for
snake. for | would have corralled both
of those gigantic serpents before they
knew It.
"There are many varieties of mon
keys in the Brazilian forests, and
every one of them is toothsome NOR
sci to the boa. Usually a person may
know that one of these great reptiles
has cone to hunt in the woods by the
wild scampering of all kinds of mon
keys through the trees, flying from
possible capture by the .boa. At the
same time there must be peculiar
fascination to these monkeys in a
fight between boaS, for this particular
battle had not been going on three
spot were filed with monkeys, chat
tering and screaming enough to make
steam calliope player jealous.
with the snake fight off the bills,
this aggregation of monkeys would
have been the greatest show on earth
to me. but 1t wasn't anywhere near in
1t with the fight.
THE fierce struggle on the ground
lasted five minutes, and then the boas
suddenly separated One serpent
glided to a large tree near by and went
up it's trunk like spiral flash of
lightning. The other snake flashed in
the same way up into another tree fif-
teen feet distant from the first one. l
feared that the fight had come to an
end. because one of the snakes seemed
to be afraid and the other ore daren't.
"But soon saw that was mistaken.
The snakes had hardly settled them
selves among the branches on their re-
a. eS1t -
both trees began to shake and culver
as If wind were passing through
and agitating them.
suddenly each boa, coiling its rail
around a branch high up In its tree,
dropped like a plummet toward the
ground and hung at full length. its
head raised but few inches above the
ground. For moment their great
bodies swayed to and fro like slowly
moving pendulums. Their eyes gilt
tered like fire. Then each serpent
drew itslf quickly half its length above
the ground. Like an arrow each head
shot forward, and instantly the two
enormous reptiles were locked In each
others coils like immense cables
twisted together.
up and down. to and fro. the with
ing mass moved In quick undulation,
each serpent struggling for an opening
that would place the other at dis
Advantage. Their forked tongues
darted in and out of their mouths like
jets Of flame, and their kissing was
ilcessant
"The troops of ehatterine monkey
spectators had been Joined by hun
dTeds of harsh-voiced. but brilliantly
plumed birds which few frantically
about. and added their excited cries
to the deafening monkey chorus.
The desperate mid-air struggle be-
tween the boas continued for several
minutes. when they separated again
as suddenly rs they had rushed to-
gether. and each drew itself back
among the branches of its tree. For
two Or three minutes the snakes lay
quietly. each glaring ait 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