The evening times., 1898-11-21
Collection of Handsome and
VenOmous Snakes.
RATHER TRYING TO NERVES
Healthy and Lively RattlerS. Gila
Monsters and COpperheads.
Many More Agreeable Specimens of
the Wild Kingdom Inhabit
Park of Glorious Beauty.

OF the many snakes sent to the District
geological Park, only the largest strong
.st and handsomest of the Venomous
kind are kept. the many harmless spec
mems being otherwise disposed Of says
writer in the New York Sun. AT one
time the latter were passed on 10 the
Smithsonian people, but the careiessness
Of the professors led 10 too many sehsa-
tions. In one case dozen lnnocuous
snakes Of different kinds were crowded.
into a box when a considerate man of
science. seeing that they needed eXerc 5 :,
turned them all loose and they qui k
scattered over the building. For day the
halls were the scene OF interesting dis
plays Of terror A Shrek in some distant
room where a weary woman had seated
herself TO rest from the round of sig /
seeing would attest the presence OF "A rep
tile. The snakes showed a disposition to
seek the shadows of dress ski.ts, and the
attendants were stationed about the va
l-ious departments TO respond TO the 5 g
mails Of alarm The Indignation of 81
tors was great, especially in the case o.
large and dignilied men who were be-
trayed into yell and jump as snake
would go scooting across the polished
floor with a desire for friendly inter
course The scientific person who had re-
leased the creatures was struck with
amazemeut al the complaints. That any
body should not know they were as harm
less as kittens and quite as playful seem
ed inconceivable. For weeks after all but
one OF the serpents had been recaptured
the falling of in the number of Smlthso-
uian visitors was notable. When they
learned that one was still at large, those
who came TO see the curiosities of the
place were assured that the snakes were
NOT VenomOus The inherent human dis
like of reptiles cannot be reasoned down,
vet the Gagged specimens AT the park at
Iract a great deal Of shiYering attention
There is nothing attractive about the
head of = large rattler, and graceful as
The copperhead is there is something re-
pulsive to most persons in his erect pose,
when so much of his body is free OF all
support but his own wonderful muscles.
There Is not a better collection Of the
yeuonous snakes Of North America than
thar Of the District Geological Park, said
an expert There are specimens OF every
kind. and, like everything else there
they are cared for in the best possible
way The park commissioners have made
their wants known far and wide, ana
every one that is kept is the choice OF
dozens which people have taken pride in
sending to the Capital as a sort Of pa
triutic duty"
He might have added that there Is no
place, al least in this country, where a
collection of animals has been so We'll dis
posed for artistic effect. Even in the mat
ter OF the snake display there has been an
attempt to consider their comfort, the
convenience of the public and the general
effect They are not all simply crowded
into ordinary counter cases. The main
cage for the dozen or more huge black
snakes, for example contains the upright
trunk OF tree about 20 feet high. with a
number Of its limbs. on this the reptiles
irvine their glistenng bodies when they
are not twisted into a writhing mass. In
their climbing they surprise the ineNperi-
ouced visitor by the length Of body they
can project with apparent ease from the
tree their tongues darling out with the
speed Of a sewing ng-machine needle. The
man IN charge is confident that there is
no collection of the same size in which the
snakes are as free from scratches and
sears and so thoroughly healthy and live
IT, There are several cases Of rattle
snakes-in one. half a dozen that are said
TO be the largest in captivity. Three OF
these have heads as large as the fist Of
a woman
They rarely sleep in the daytime, and
hat is true Of the many cOpperheads.
water moccasins and others, and most OF
them are in almost constant movement.
More reposeful are the TWO large speci-
mems Of the ella monster, with venom
ous-lOokinG heads, hideoGs bodies with
the legs Of the alligator. They seek the
shaded corners and most Of the time re
as still as aIligators. even when their
companions. two vicious snakes crawl
over them. The TWO boas are said 20 be
o. unusual length. but they rarely uncoil
themselves Like the ratulesnakes, they
seem To be i'm need Of hantng of some
an;i-fat preparation. Indeed, that Is the
case with most of the animals. even the
hyeuaS and coyotes being fat and sleek.
All the reptiles are remarkably clean, the
b,acksuakes looking as though they had
"a fresh coating Of yarnish Altogether,
there are about dozen cases of snakes.
The chief object has been TO display the
kinds that are native to this country.
A visitor from New York was carried
out TO the home OF a friend In Mount
Pheasant, an integral part Of the city,
but retaining the features Of a wooded
suburb and looking like an extension OF
the Zoo Park. The first night he had
occasion TO recall a memorable feat OF
newspaper imbecility of long ago when
New York people were supposed to bC
panic-stricken by the escape Of the ami
mails from Central Park. The visitor was
within a mile or less OF the Zoo with NJ
intervening woods, the ground having