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

TO get a hold In passing the bottom or the
branch. however, IL was more successful.
and dashed four or five inches Of its tail
firmly around this. Then the black snake
turned himself over and over twisting the
garter snakes neck and pulling Il so tauf
that II loosed itself from the branch. and
both went swsshinE about the cage To
keep the garter still. ths black one now
drew Up part OF his body. laid IL on his
struggling prisoner, and pressed II down
on the bottom OF the cage with ali his
weight. Inch By inch the garter snake was
slipping from beneath aim. But the black
reptile pushed * over quickly with his
body. much like a football player shoulder
ing an antagonist. and again pressed IL in
q corner. Even here he could not master
il, for the garter snake was too strong. IL
got entirely loose again. except for the
grip on It's head. II dashed about, and
striking against the branch, cooled itself
for almost a foot of its length around il.
AS the black snake was not at the mo-
ment III position 10 pull. the garter snake
profted by the advantage and drew back
more ard more Of its body around thu
branch. until only six inches OF its neck
remained for It's aSsa.lant 10 work upon.
lie pulled and tugged in vain, the garter
was firmly anchored Then no twisted It's
neck BY rolling over several times until he
had its throat so much like a rope that 1t
could not possibly breath Here he held IT
for five or six minutes. then commenced to
swallow it. advancing toward the branch
as he did SO. for he could not bulge the
garter snake a single inch. Finally his
Jaws had closed over IL as far as the
branch. when, OF course. he had 10 stop
and wait for the garter snake TO die OF
siranguiAtion. and relax. When IL did so
he easily pulled t. loose from its anchora SO
and completed his dinner.
Whether bis prey he weak or powerful,
Et-a n aasas
strict 1t. but viii always press It down with
the weight OF his body or shoulder" IL
against some convenient object. In these
respects the tiger snake. Spliotes Naria-
bills. and the cribo. Spiiotes Corais, and
the gopher snake, Spilotes Meianurus. act
exactly alike
Very many OF the deadly Elapidae are
cannihaIz. These. OK course, kill by their
venom. But this powerful poison. usually
so quick in its effect upon mammalian ami
mails. Is often slow and peculiar In its ef-
feet upon other snakes. a very deadly 1T
tie elaps Is the Hygiae OF South Africa
one day while snake hunting on the
veldt. between Grahamst0wn and Fort
Beaufort. I caught IN an abandoned ant
hin Hygise Is inches long and as thick
as q common lead pencil.
I put him into a large glass jar which
had with me for the purpose Soon after.
in the sans ant-hin, ] caught "schaap-
ssicker," Pzamn, phylax Rhomoeatus, Is
inches long and fve-elghfhs OF an inch In
diameter / put him into the jar with the
Hygiae. which at once bit him viciously.
holding on for three or four seconds. Now
the .schaap-stfckers' Is harmless. and the
venomous Hygias Is a professional canni-
bal The harmless snake on being bitten
dashed about in way painful 70 witness:
bat after a few minutes seemed TO be all
right took both home. and pur them
H. 80 fssS~
wards q was sitting IN my room, heard
a coulrnoEioa IN the .'schaap- stlcker's'
cage. and there ne was having 1t or con-
vulsions. similar 20 what he had exhibited
when bitten. When he recovered after g.
few minutes there was a kiHk In his spine
az the bitten part. A few days later he had
another ft. which left another kink lower
down. with increasing frequency these
fts wecfsrard, each time leaving one or two
rigid kinks Finally they occurred several
sifnas a eay until at last he died IN one Of
them. leaving his whole body klnked. 70
the very tip o. the tan. from the spot
where the elsps had injected his insldious
venom.
The deadly coral snakes OF South Amer
sea also I've on other snakes, chiefly the
small burrowfnE Eeophis. which they pur-
SIZE into their h0ies. catching them and
swallowing them there.
4 famous suake eater is the great Ham
adrvad ~ the East Indies. In ISIS they
showed nc ore In london AZ the Regents
Park ZooloNtcai Gardens. lie was eight
feet long and tao and one-half inches in
diameter They also showed me hts larder
an old oat-hln fve feet ~ three covered
over the bottom for q depth Of SIX inches
With A writing mass OF common English
snakes There were several hundred Il e.
intended 90 last Hamsaryas through the
winter months.
Neither ths HamA6rvas. ne- the Coral
snakes nor the Bygsse nor any other -
she deadly E1ap3da@ construct their prey.
bet conquer II solely BY their venom and
bulldog strength.
@. r. OREILLy.