The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-04-04


This twisting altogether prevented It's
breathing. which the coils alone might not
have done effectively. At last tina W at.r-
snake was dead. or a. least the king snake
considered IL SO He then let 40 his grin
on IT'S throat. but still held It's body wra -
ped in his coils. Feeling It's head with his
tongue. he found that IL moved q little
whersupon he again seixed II and twisted
up It's neck as Before, pulling and strain
Ing IL with all his might When he finally
let 80 and began 20 make meal Of IL, the
water~snaks was undoubtedly dead.
TX was then o'clock. He swallowed IL
head foremost. and when Re had finished
this browning act Of the tragedy il was ID
minutes past 10. THIS he took two hours
10 examine aud measure IL. and 10 consider
his tactics. three hours to strange IL and
two hours and ~ minutes to swallow lt-ln
all seven hours and twenty minutes But
IL was as good as 10 ordinary meals for
him. IL swelled ont his body 70 nearly
double his former diameter. He was q
rather lean snake before he ate IL. but two
weeks afterwards when he had completely
digeSted 1t. his condition was SO changed
that he was as fat and sleek as any snake
Ia my collection. The common nilk snake
eats other snakes in the very same way.
though with weak ones be sometimes fol-
lows the tactics Of the black snake.
The common black snake Is an inweter-
''cribo." tia ''Spilotes corats'' OF the West
Indies and Venezuela. and the gopher
snake" or Spilotes MsianGrus, OF Florida.
IL was I'm very interesting way that
nrst discovered the esnnlbal propensities
OF the crtho in Trinidad. I had caught a
young one about yard long a. 10 o'clock
IN the morning. in TIE grounds OF tas con-
Wet station at Chaguanss About IN ths
afternoon I caught = pretty. little black
and yellow striped snake, IkopnEs Meiano-
tns. ard put him into the bag with tbs
cFsAo. tying up the mouth OF xhe bag very
carefully. A few minutes afterwards
caught another u0phts OF the very same
sire nearly Ia The same spot. on putting
this second one into ths bag noticed thai
the srgf one had diSs pepared therefore
began 70 hook around for him thinking
that he might have accidentally got out.
but / sought for him ia vain. / fancic4
that there might possibly be a little hole
somewhere. ard that l had caught the
same snake twice. thinking that I had
taken TWO. BUS there was no hole- May
Do he Is stuck IN . seam somewhere. I
thought: 80 I opened ths bag again. To
my surprise there was no Nophis there At
AL The cTluo was alone. Ma y0a gsut-
son.~ said /. 20 myself you We swallowed
both or them. have y0u Wen. I'll make
YOU diS~orge."
teak hirr auf aud vaxeH him more Shaa
a lttie ey tickling Ms stomach. This was
soon raare thaa ha could eear; he opened
his r-outh and gave 10 both hts victims
out sAav fels On Tire pathway ard scuFrles
away IS fasf 80 they could wfgg9e. eut
soan secarea Them again and pat thstn
back "a TIC bsg. Iheu I gave she eraoo a
gooa shaking 20 fr3Shtaa hiu. Jest 80
ssoult swallow them again. and pug hirn
hack 81 the eags for | hsa no ether vita
ne % stow h&m IN.
In haR "a hours time I booked IN n see
# an was Fsxht. I seand that "a bad swat
lowed them sxsln. ard again J made hira
s4sKarge. Before sot home - ~ allowed
them . tAfrt tine. aa8 when ] mate htsa
xsva thara nr. ore % them was dead TIE
other however. was al right. ara llve6 %
accompany ne 20 the Cntts1 States waeF@
sh@ narthern climate anSlly prssea too So
vtra fer hts poor hstle tropical lanSs
Tssrfuz ne warmer rnoCthS e aass year
Yaa my HACK snakes eAte9y en- other
SNAKES. As has heea mentioned sa9ve. TIE
black snakes methods - raseH5ag sra
ssxernowsFfnx 1ho ssranE SNAKES wafca -
wishes 80 eat Ars exactly tne SaHae 80 tA@Es
q tie cr1so All GNpaaS snake Ons n
stsne~ viii ~aaaee 70 'exesnnflEy these CO
rloax eat sTcetive tactics
Into the cage q BLACK s1aks nwe Sn8
onr~half feet lons. and ere Aaa sns-sa4f
snrh4s IT, diameter. I pax . garter sF@ss
fwa fees sanw sna Sar@@-fenrtNs ef a. tnc1
n Diameter Bosh were exceedingly stroaS
ara lxWly ard TIE black ssake was has~
g~v in fhs cage wAs = hrancs fastened
fssatfy - ths eesgena- EAare Nss a4sa
s,lF.ss ~ g8Shun c0FeTe8 rcse& A s2e1 -
sha eaFEas SNAKE cA1Nhk sash5 eE rs as4t
So IL rsshs-8 &c she Eiass Ard trees - ss~
ser.. hut th.e esaeS Sns&e saW Sc ard
xsarta.k AZ Il wtxA eaea Asa ks484as e nE
- hsaa. The garter tTfest e Fw4ae issRt
yess4aA TIE elher.s fAzoaE. set Re eaas~ tst.
- us.slesa il hsek@ arts - S&ieA4Y sHAt
"a asfeswfs vas q fsAsssrs. Re also faaases
~ past the rex. 81 = aseA tas t4<s~E-- 4~~-s<