The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-29
RATS IN AN ELEVATED Can.
They Were the Property OF q Naturalist,
and Were to BE Food for snakes.

zone Of my liveliest experiences in
connection with snakes" said X. l.
Dittmars. formerly OF the Natural llis-
tory museum, who was one at II CHEZ
exhibitors at the snake exhibition. and
who is a ~well-known expert, took
place in an levated railroad car. i
keep a large collection of snak Is at
my home in Harlem. and j was bring
ing home a box of livs rats To feed
them on. 1t was DO g O'Clock in the
evening. n .he ear co1talned nan
girls, typewriters, sttCpyiris n the
like. ] had put my box of rats under
the seat and was abs orbc1 in my news
paper when 1 ea-d a faint pdi;er'rg
sound beneath me. / looked down end
saw a large rat slowly emerging from
under the seat. What lad happened
was obvious. The box had got 81 en-
somehow or other and the rats were at
liberty.
THE situation was one that de-
manded prompt action. The rat / had
seen was the pioneer. There were a
dozen in the box. As yet none of the
girls had become conscious of the pres
enc of their novel travelling compan-
ions. but their period of ignorance must
be brief. and when IL expired 1 knew
that I had little mercy to expect at the
hands of the enraged m The
course l chose VAS rather prudent
Than heroic. i changed my seat to the
opposite side of the car, and proceed
ed with the perusal of my paper, await
ing the upshot of the adventure with
trembling heart.
LAS / expected the first rat was fol-
lowed by another and another until
there were a dozen of them strolling
up the aisle. The scene hat ensued
beggars description, shrieks and
screams and whirling skirts. women
s~crambling over the seats and one an
other in the last extremity of terror.
This excited the rats, which rushed
hither and thither squealing and seek
ing asylums. AS for myself, / Joined
i'm the hurly burly apparently as start
led as any Of my companions. The
pandemonium, of course, attracted the
attention of the conductor, who rush.
ed in to see what had happened. In
a few hurried sentences i explained
that some base hearted villain had Sc
cretly introduced a box OF live rats
into the car doubtless as a cruel prac-
teal joke. The language OF the con-
ductor was vigorous, n i indorsed
Il all. He never suspected the full
truth. and at the next station the car
was cleared OF its human occupants
and left to the
Of the rodents, concerning whose ulti-
mate fate / am ignorant to this day.
Indeed, rats are awkward customers
whatever way you take them. They
are the favorite food OF many OF the
larger snakes, but great care has to
be taken in administering them. A
rat is always game n will not hes
itate to attack n rattlesnake. 1t VIII
lump on the reptiles back and attack
it's spine. On one occasion I put in
a rat with a big water snake and left
IL there. The snake was not hungry.
but the rat was. and lei / happened
TO examine the cage a few days later
i found that the order Of events i had
contemplated had been reversed. The
rat had eaten of several inches OF the
snakes tail. Now I always take care
to cut of the sharp points of the rats
teeth before introducing them into
the snakes cages."-New York Sun.