The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-10-31
CATCHING SNAKES IN INDIA.
Queer But Effective Method of Capt
uring Great Serpents.


Menageries are always in need of
snakes and as India abounds in these
reptiles. perhaps TO greater extent
than any other country in the world,
to India go the managers when their
stocks begin to run low. Snake hunt
ing in India, unless one understands
the trade, is q peFilous business, for
larger percentage of the Indian ser
penis are poisonous than in any other
part of the globe. and even a HindOO
has no desire to die OF snake bite, nor
within the crushing folds of a con-
strictor. Besides. however, the demands
from the InendgerieS. the Indian gov
eminent pays a bounty on snake heads
so there is a double incentive to Indian
snake hunters and when there are
sufficient orders on hand from the me-
nagerieS. a hunt is organized on a
grand scale
Preparations are made by ascertain
ing from the natives promising snake
district. which is usually a tract of
jungle with a thick bamboo or grass
underground. In such lands snakes. are
found by thousands, and after prom
Using patch is discovered. a beginning
is made by clearing or burning the I'M
dergroWth from strip entirely enoir-
cling the snake farm, then a broad eX-
panse of perhaps an acre is cleared on
one side and there is located the snake
trap, netting extending from 200 10
900 yards on each side OF the cleared
tract. its wings gradually contracting
to lead the reptiles into IL cul de sac.
from which there is no escape. Several
hundred natives are assembled, and
on a day when the wind IS from the
right quarter they surround the district
selected, and, at given signal. set fire
to the Jungle After the fire has fairly
started the natives are called behind
the netting, as there is no need of their
services on the other sides. for every
snake tenant of the brush fees in the
same direction toward the fatal net
ting.
Behind it stands rows of men. armed
with clubs and sticks. ready to give
their snakeships a lively reception. AS
the fire approaches the netting the
snakes come in crowds. by hundreds.
sometimes by thousands At the wings
the men are concentrated with their
clubs ready to Kill those attempting TO
escape. and as the main body of the
reptiles approaches the netting. the
wings are pushed forward toward each
other, the stakes supporting the netting
are driven firmly into the ground and
the snakes are inclOsed. But snakes
can climb almost as we'll as monkeys.
and so the men at the wings are kept
busy hlHnS those 1naI eOdtdNOl TO eS7-
cape over the ropes. AT the cul de sac
the netting extends above as we'll as
on the sides, and the larger portion of
the reptiles are finally concentrated
within this enclosure. There the scene
is one of lively animation. for the
snakes are of all sizes, some of the
Yenomous reptiles of india not being
more than six or eight inches in length
and. as their movements are very quick
the barefOoted heaters are kept lodging
about in a manner at once grotesque
and amusing. their anxiety TO escape
! the small strpents that go through the
netting like fash being even greater
/ than their eagerneSs to kill as many
| snakes as possible and thus receive q
| larger share of the government bounty.
No snake is permitted to escape. and
after all the smaller reptiles which can
work their way through the meshes of
I the net have been killed, attention IS
turned to the larger which remain.
In various parts of the netting there
are loops which can be united and then
refastened and after the slaughter Of
| the little snakes has been finished the
work OF capturing the most prominent
! specimens begins The superintendent
points at an Anaconda that viii bring
d good price. and as the animal thrusts
! its head against the netting in fruitlesS
efforts to escape q stick with 4 wire
! loop at the end is introduced, the snake
| is Iassoed imme diately back Of the head
| the wire is frightened and the future
ing and Writhing, is dragged through