The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-01-02
THIRlY-THREE SNAKES IN ONE.
South African Tale That Involves
Many Puzzline Speculations.
From the New York sun.

Every one is familiar with the little
trick contrivances, originally OF Japa-
ncsc construction. which consist in a
series of boxes. one inside the other UNI
tn after opening box after box. each
smaller than its predecessor the exper-
imeutcr finds in the center a tiny kernel
Of wood. Equally familiar Is the April
Fool postage constructed ON the same
principle, where the victim receives a
large express parcel. ana after paying
the charges unWinds wrapping after
wrappWs, and opens box after box, only
TO nnd nothing but "a Wad OF paper in the
center From South Africa comes a tale
of a living series of Containcr and con-
tanned somewhat in this same line. one
Arthur II. Whey, In letter TO the Lon
don Times, vOuches for the story
Near where Mr.. Whey lives az Ceres
Cape Colony there Is an ostrich farm run
by "a Mr.. Mallcrby. one day Mr. Nal
llrby while out walking, Glanced upon a
large blacksnakc. Usually these snakes
are very swift and difficult 10 catch. but
this particular reptile moved sluggishly
away when the ostrich farmer APP
preached. II WAS an easy matter for Mr.
Malerby to kan the reptile with stick
which he carried. Then he noticed that
the snake was very fat; quite swollen
in fact, and heavy beyond what was ex-
be'lti from llS Hllt- re LOOK IL Hpiut
and there cut H. open Inside was a yell
low snake almost as large as the back-
snake. The yellow snake faced the
blacksnakes tail. This a surprise,
but more was TO follow. The yellow snake
also looked bloated. So MIR. Mallerby cut
open the yellow snake.
Inside he found another blacksnRke,
almost as big as the yellow snake Hav-
ing gone so far in the dissection business
the expermenter proceeded to lay open
the third layer of serpent, hoping TO turn
out a blue or "A crimson reptile by way
of variety Instead he found bunch
of eggs. Egg after egg he took out and
laid beside the remains of the two black
snakes and the yellow snake. But his
scientific thirst for exploration was not
yet slaked. and he proceeded 20 puncture
an egg. out popped "a small blacksnake
he tried another egg, and got another
Just like it. Then he went to work with
a will. and when he had finished the JOB
he found himself responsible for the pro-
duction of thirty minute erawlers, where
as he could credit himself with the de-
struction of only one. At last accounts
the thirty were still under his care
From these data he has figured out the
story of the thirty-three snakes. Evil
IDENTIFY the eggs belonged to the smaller
blacksnake, and perhaps she wasn't very
lively, for when a large yellow snake
couldn't hustle fast enough to escape
and she underwent the presumably I'M
pleasant sensation of being swallowed
tail first Now the yellow snake was
rather sleepy after It's square meal and
drowsed off. 1t hadn't been sleeping very
long when a bigger blacksnake came
along Mr. Mallerby knows, because the
acids in a snakes stomach are very pow
erful, and had the smaller blacksnake
been long in the yellow snakes interior
il would have been eaten by the acids
whereas It was hardly affected at all
when taken out, although 1t was dead
The blacksnake then, seeing O yellow
snake Of just the right size asleep in the
sun, seized it by the head ana swallowed
it, This was undoubtedly cannibalism;
but then the blacksnake didn't know
that in taking In the yellow family IT was
eating one Of its own family. II was
poetic justice, too, and the avenger was
peacefully enjoying the rest Of the well
fed when Mr.. Mallerby came along and
killed IT. The death must have followed
close on the meal, for the internal acids
OF the outside blacksnake had not acted
on the yellow snake any more than the
internal acids Of the yellow snake had
acted on the inside blacksnake. As for
the eggs, they weren't harmed at ALL
Afterward Mr. Mallerby was sorry he
didn't know all this above before he
killed the outside serpent Certain in
teresting questions that viii never be
answered now suggested themselves 10
him Surprising the eggs had Matched in
side the three layers of snake 0hey were
evidently just ready to hatch out ser
pents). what would nave become of
them? Supposing their mother the black
snake, and their foster father, the yellow
snake, VINO had provided home for
them. had been digested by their outside
parent. the big blacksnake, and they
had remained still in the egg, what would
have become of them them The outside
blacksnake was a male Wouldn't IT be
rather too much. even In these days Of
female preponderance, to expect a male
blacksnake to lay thirty-two eggs that
had come into its possession purely by
ACCIDENT Also. if II did 50 far forget its
right as a mansnake. what relation would
the yellow snake and the original black
snake be In this miXed-up relationship?
Mr. MallerDy would like some snake ex-
pert who also knows something about
genealogy, to come forward and enlghten
him on these points,