Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-10-19
NOW FOR THE SNAKES
A Collection Which Visitors at the Zoo Can
Now See.
Some Famous Reptiles Temporarily
Stored There-Rattlers, BOas
and Anacondas.

During the next week or ten days visitors
to the Geological Park will have the priv
ilege of seeing an extensive collection of
snakes. safely and warmly housed in glass
cases in the main building. This aggrega-
ton of reptiles has been loaned to the Zoo
for a short time by the owners, pending re-
moval to permanent winter quarters else
where, or for exhibition in some museum
The owners are Messrs Ralston Brothers,
who have a fancy for collecting snakes,
and in this collection three continents are
represented.
The first case in the display at the Zoo
contains a pair of big black water mecca
s.ns from Florida. They are very poison
GUS reptiles, and their great, coarse bodies,
of an almost ebony hue, make them ex-
ceedtngly rep.llSive. These fellows lived in
the swamps, with alligators for company,
and were captured with great difficulty.
Their nearest neighbors at the Zoo are a
family Of copperheads, brand of snakes
notorious for malevolence and wholesale
dealers In poison. They are little more
attractive to look upon, however, and one
of them Is going through the interesting
operation Of changing his skin, this, too, in
full view of the public.
The Rattlers.
There is a fine collection of rattlesnakes,
small and large. There's the common rat
tier, full of poison and fight; the banded
RATHER, powerful and lightning-like in his
movements, and always loaded for big
game, and finally the king of his species,
big diamond rattler. This fellow is six
feet long, and carries around enough
poison with him to slay regiment. AS he
lies curled up in bunch he shows several
folds. one on top of the other. his villain
ous-looking head resting on the top of the
coil.
The oopbar cnola IF E,Jor.do &c blo olx on5
shiny, seeming to have gloss on his coat.
He Is not poisonous, and is not very inter-
esting on that account. When you are adj
miring snakes you want snakes that are
snakes, full Of poison, cunning and fight.
There are black snakes and bull snakes
also. but interest in them quickly subsidies.
for they adjoin a cage that contains the
great mogul of reptiles, the boa constric-
tor.
The bon.
Now. he is something like snake. He is
twelve feet long. and his body in the middle
is as big around as a dinner plate. 1t can
get larger. however, than that. for this boa
constructor is capable of swallowing a
young lamb whole. That would stretch
him little. but he would like it. They
feed him on immense rats. and he gulps
them down like dog swapping at flies. AS
he bolts everything without chewing, it Is
easy to imagine that the slight swellings
visible in his EOdy at intervals are reSpec
tive rats.
A close neighbor is an African rock
srake, a pretty little worm about ten feet
loEg, who is also a snake of full habit and
fond of large mouthfuls. Next to him is an
anaconda of seven feet in length and as
big around a breakfast plate. All of
these reptiles spend their time in sleeping
when they are not eating. and assume pic
trresque attitudes about the cage while
they slumber. They seem very much at
ease at the Zoo, and the roaring of the
liens ard chattering of the monkeys doubt
less remind them of home and give them
real comfortable feeling.
Bitten Sixty-Three Times.
The men who own this cheerful assort-
ment take great interest In the reptiles,
ard, it is said. handle them with impunity.
One of the men has been bitten sixty-three
times. and now does not mind snake bite
any more than flea bite. He always has
bag of remedies at hand, however, and in
case he gets a love tap from a poisonous
RATHER. merely dives into his bag, dishes
himself out remedy and proceeds with
the business in hand with the snake.