The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-10-20
SNAKES IN A SWALLOWING MATCH
strategy on Both sides Before the
Victory Went 10 the Larger and
Stronger.
From the Springfield Republican.

stronger.
From the Springfield Republican.
An interesting episode in snake life took
place in the curious little store run by
o. b. Deane, where there is any kind of
a pet, either dead or alive, that the av-
erage man or woman wants, and some
that none want. For a year or two Mr..
Deane has had a vigorous blacksnake
IN ms window, confined in small cage
with turfed bottom Yesterday a
small boy brought in a common grass
snake which he picked up over on the
island. Without much idea that the
black snake would eat his cousin, though
he mad heard serpents were so villain
Gus, he had curiosity enough to try It,
and slipped the fellow into the black
For a time the smaller snake lay coiled
up quietly at the side of the cage, and
ne big fellow not only did not seem
10 notice him, but crawled carelessly over
him once or twice. This was in accord
ance with popularity noticed by Mr..
Deane in feeding him frogs. AS long
as the frogs sat quiet the snake would
take no notice of them, but the instant
they hoped, flash. would go his necA,
and the poor animals would be doomed.
80 II was with the grass snake. He didn't
seem to know a good thing when he had
1t, for by and by he became inqulsitive
concerning his new quarters, and stuck
up his head to look around. That settled
1t, for almost as quickly as the eye could
see the black snake had fixed his mouth
around his roommate's slender neck just
behind the head. Then he began to work
his jaws in a fashion peculiar to the
snake. They are loose-actioned affairs,
working In nearly every direction and I'M
his victim so that he would go in head
first, for who ever heard of a snake
crawling backward? So he kept hitching
one side, of his jaw and then the other
the telescope. When the two were pre-
cisely head-on the little fellow began to
disappear, suction taking him in and
crooked teeth preventing him from wrig-
Cling out.
But the little snake was gamy, and
made his conquerOr fight for hisdinner.
After about eight inches of him had dis
appeared head first, he evolved plan 10
stop that method of procedure. He wrap
ped himself around the body of his host
about four times and held on. In vain
the blacksnake sucked he was like the
boy that stood on the burning deck-ne
would not go on. HIM." said his snake
ship, this won't do. l can't digest you
! comfortably this way" And so he began
to shorten, himself and swell up in the
middle, as an angleWorm does when YOU
put him on the hook. BY this means he
gained an inch or so, which he swallowed
! Then, holding hard with his teeth ne
more of his dinner. Then ali but about
eight inches of the little snake had gone
in. The victim was very much alive still
and tried new tactics. He threw his tai
around the blacksnake's neck in two OF
| three folds. He was hanging out of his
mouth at one corner, out of the way OF
MS teeth, and the blacksnake had no pu-.
| chase on him. With matters in thai
| state it is a question of physiology whetn,
| er the grass snake would have been al
| gested or would have eaten up the black.
/ snake from the inside out. But the latter
| had evidently done that thing before anG
! knew trick or two himself. He suuirne(
| over 70 the side of the cage and rubbed
| his neck vigorously against the wires
| loosen'ng the grass snake necklace a mite
| By sucking vigorously he got the adVany
Of h. Loo
| broken and his victim slid into the DEPTHS
| wriggling his tail defiantly as it disap
| peared. The process of entombment oc.
| cupied twenty minutes.
Not long after this the blacksnake wa,
| as risky as ever, and no trace could bt
seen of his swallowed cousin, which wa,
| rather strange, as the small snake wa,
all of two feet long ana as big arounf
| as your thumb, while the blacksnake wa,
| but four and one-half feet long and no,
ameter ~ Ni