Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-01-02
o,RrILLY AND 500 SNAKES.
4 Storehou~c Of Queer Pets I'm Yves
Fourteenth street


10 his collection by hunting expeditions
m tho surrounding country. Ah his
specimens are North American snakes,
with the exception of % tree-bon, from
Honduras. AT present Che reptiles ar-
lazy and inert. because they don't Ike
cold weather. ana their appoutcs are
unequal 20 more than one meal Cd fort
night or so, excepting in the case Of the
blacksnako who is always hungry.
Five kinds of rattlesnakes are included
n tho collection. The biggest specimen
is the lava-bed rattler, which is almost
as big as a mans wrist, and is notified
in black and green on the back. Like
an the rattlers but one. he carries the
evidence Of his murlerOus disposition bon
his big. fat head. and vicious eyes, Tho
exception is the massas1uga of Indiana,
Che most dangerous of tho rattlers. not
because its venom IS amy more deadly
than that of its brothers. but because
of Us resemblance to- the innocent milk
snake. DO has smoll round head, with
none of the nattoning at the nOstrils
characteristic of poisonous sorpents. and
in c0loung &c is almost ana exact counter
part of the common m.lk-snaSc Close
examination win show the 'pit-' IN front
of the eyes small holes, which invari-
ably mean that the snake which bears
them is tO ~ summed. Fortunately, the
ma ssasluga gives warning rattle be-
fore 80 strikes: otherwise, its innocent
appearance would prob bly, be the cause
of an increase iu IndiaLi's mortality. An-
other RATHER IS the Texas diamond
back 20 little. 1j-inch chap. with bright
rings around its tli and lightish green
motUiuas ON IT'S back Tt is "a year old.
the same age as another damond-b9ck
Of the Florida variety which is ~ feet
l0nc Eventually. tho Texan win or'-
grow the Florida specimen. The fifth
species is the common r3ttleena1e, or
which Nlr. O'Reiuy has several speci-
mems one Of these born on the Bowery
year ago. disproves the commonplace
coptod theory that each rattle represents
year OF life. for this yearlng has six
good rattles to ar'~so itso'f with. Us
brother in the next box. although or
equal age has only two. These COM
Fmon rottlcrs are found IN tho country
about Ramapo, and in the hls back Of
stony Point. 4 few have boon seen
ON tho Palisades, opposite tho city
Connerheods arc common on tho Pail
sqles and Mr. O'Reiiy has specimens OF
an qros There are two little copper
/ heads that haven't yet eaten meal
hardly bigger than ongle-worms, but with
death IN their fangs. Bv experiment
/ SIR. O'Reflv has discovered that tho cop
uorheql makes Itself useful by eating
| the larvae Of insects which are injurious
| 10 vegetation This however. viii not
affect its propensity for Joining picnic
/ parties unlimited. and soaring the pic
nickers up the neiehborng trees suih-
GENTLY to make Sc popular. Another eater
Of insect larvae is the small ana beauu-
! ful green snake. found in this part or
! the country of which Mr.. OReilly has
fine specimen This serpent IS harm
L ..f Ffrifr ~ ID
| southern counterpart of the cOpperhe1d.
/ I'm the O'Reilly collection IS moccasin
nearly five feet long. Next 20 It's habi-
/ tatfon ia the box in VIII oh live two bull
I snakes from Texas. one of which is about
| six feet I'm length. These snakes are
very lively and voraoiOus. and 1--we chiefly
ON rats. which they crush by cOnstrlc-
| ton before devouring They are OF
vcllOwish color and arc not only harm
| less. but also rather timid \ fellow
countrvrnan Of theirs Is the kingsnake.
which IS not afraid Of anything ana VIII
dart vici0usly at any moving object IN
its vicinity. although IL Is not provided
| with venom. I'm the matter of other
snakes. the kingsnake IS terror. for IL
will FIGHT any snake that comes its way,
and swallow II, unless IL is bigger than
/ the king Itself and sometimes. even then.
| doubling the victim mp before swallow
/ ing Besides these specimens. there are
ribbonsnakes. hog-nosed adders, milk
snakes. carriers. and biacAsnake'
which follows its owner about Ike
/ dog.
The ono foreigner IS the tree-b0a from
Honduras Of which Mr.. OReilly Is worry
proud. 1T IS 31-2 feet long, very slender
and Of a duu-br0wnl.h-gray color when
/ i'm shadow, but in the sunlight IL shows
/ rainbow hues Of iridescence. 10 was cip-
tured i'm a tree by the watorside I'm Hon
| duras. while hunting for birds eggs.
"This snake g. a most amazing climb
or" said Mr.. O'Roilly put IL on tcie-
graph. wire. and it would travel from hero
| 10 the Sun office without ever touch'ns
/ Tho ground IT has strong teeth. and Will
| bite ami hang on like a BULLDOG; but, IKE
an the l0as. g. nOn-vcnOmous. When
/ curlcd uD to sleep in the crotch OF q
! branch IL o. hardy distinglishable troW
a birds nest. The Honduras treo-boa
! doesn't crow very large. but its brother
the yellow treo-boa. Of Trinidad attains
/ n growth OF 10 10 feet ! caught one
/ ON shipboard once that measured over
! S feet.
'.It was at Port Of Spain, Trinidad. In
/ passing up the river lighter had brush
/ ed against the trees. and the boa Skinned
down the rigging and hid in the hold.
When the wharfmen In unloading dis
covered H. they left the lighter and re-
fused TO work. because they believe mo
/ bite Of the tree-boa 70 he deadly some
BODY sent up for me and I went into
tho hold where I found the snake almost
/ hidden I'm n recess at the side Of the boat.
/ tried 10 poke 10 out, ana II came 80
much more willingly than 7 had expected
| that II mad its teeth firmly fixed in my
hand. lust over the tendon that joins
the thumb 10 the forednger with my
other hand / grabbed IT by the neck ana
N tried 10 bite that hand, TOO. That's
where IT made its mistake. for as soon
as IL loosed its teeth I had IL. Then be-
gan a tug-of-war. the snake pulling TO
gct back into its refuge ana / 20 get 10
Am The way ont Finally. 1 won. ana
carried II 10 shore. where the natives.
ON s.. ing my bitten hand. set mp cry.
| Telling them that IL was nothing, J ser
I ont fof the house. whore / wos staying,
havin put the tree-boa into bag, ana
am M natives followed When / asked
| them what they were following for. they
! remarked cheerfully that j would die
! i'm a few moments and they proposed 10
see H. Thereupon. let loose upon them
| such an avalanche o. oratory that tney
went away, remarking as they went tnat
they would come up In the morning ana
| view my swollen remains. They eid come
up, too, but / was none The worse Tor