New-York tribune., 1898-10-23
REPTILES ON PARADE.
THE FIRST INTERCONTINENTAL SNAKE
EXPOSITION
SOME or THE MOST INTERESTING EXHIBITS
THAT WILL BE SHOWN NEXT MONTH
PRIZES TO AWARDED

After being permitted for many years 10 Ian
guish in the obscUrity Of their menaSeric cages,
the whole tribe Of snakes both great and small.
are now to be brought prominently into public
notice. On the 18th of next month a show Of
decidedly order--the Interco influential
Snake Exposition open GrosvenOr Hall,
No, 152 East Fifty second-st.. and those inter-
ested in its success curious to whether
or not the reptile family claim as large .
share of attention is bestowed at various
times upon the horses. the dogs the cats and
the chickens.
Numerous scientists of the country who are es-
pecially interested in the serpent tribe have
been endeaVoring for some time to hold such an
exhibition. and their plans have finally taken
definite shape Contributions of living reptiles
OF many species. some of them extremely rare.
have been made for the show from dealers and
scientific amateurs in various parts Of the
United States. 1t is scarcely expected that any
living reptiles will arrive from abroad but
German and other European dealers have
ranged to send collection of dissectOns and
similar preparations In fluid. showing the entire
life of the snake. from its earliest stage onward
The show will not be restricted to snakes ex-
clusvely. for turtles frogs toads. salamanders
etc, will also be view, belonging to the
reptile tribe
The hall VIII be arranged to resemble a
great tropical garden. and the details Of decOra-
ton and surroundings will Ne carried as
to make the snakes feel as much at home as
possible and 50 put them their natural good
behavior. For your scientist who is truly inter
ested in the genus serpent will not admit that
1t has all the disagreeable characteristics OF
disposition which the ordinary uniformed per
son usually asCrbes to it.
,.bi. ha
shown are some pythons belonging to Mr..
Bartel the Grcenwich-st. dealer. one of these
huge fellows probably the largest python in
this country is twenty-five feet long and
weighs over two hundred pounds MI Bartel
will also show a number Of boas from SOu h
America. Several anacondas of immense size
together with some bOas. viii be exhibited by
Daniel Burns a dealer of South-st 1t may be
mentioned here that the word boa is vide
term not confined to one kind Of snake. but de-
scriptive of a certain family which has several
species. Among the best-knoWn of these are
the boa constructors which inhabit various parts
Of South America. but which are not by any
means the largest of the family, seldom obtain
ing a length of more than twelve feet; there are
also the emperor boas of Mexico and the cheva-
Ucr boas of Peru. The anacOndas are allied to
the boas and are the largest serpents of trOpi-
cal America, sometimes measuring thiity leet
In length
Charles ii. Highly. an artist who has ms studio
at No 10 East FOurteenth-st., Will EXHIBIT Il
collection Of snakes which have served hiin as
models Among them is a curious speciinen'
said to be the only albino boa constructor in the
United States This serpent is very rare, even
in its native haunts along the Amazon. "here
It is worsilipped by the natives. Mr.. Highly has
N the
rare albino.
An exhibit OF the snakes Of New Jersey. in
cluding representatives. of each of the thirteen
species to he found in the state, Will be made
by Frank Speck of HackensaCk. who is an en-
tausiastic collector
r. L. Ditmars OF this city who vas formerly
assistant curator of the American Museum OF
Natural History. has been one of the chiet or
eanizers of the exposition and Will show
large collection of poisonous snakes. of which
no has made a special study. An interesting
faature of his exhibit will be den of rattle
snakes arranged to initiate as closely a. pos
sible the natural habitat Of these reptiles. ana
containing fifteen or sixteen species OF the rat
Tiers" In a separate group MI Dithars VIII
have the snakes native to New-Iork Guy and
its vicinity These will Include twelve harmless
yariaties and two venOmous kindS-the rattle
snaka which is To be found on the Palisades.
and the copporhead from the neighborhood OF
Eort lee Still another division of his exhibit
mill h. the "cannibal snakes. whose food con
siets largely Of smaller species OF their own
,rihe Since they are accommodating ehou6"
20 rrefer the venomOus kinds for then NictihS
,hooa .canuibal snakes" have cohaIucidoie
economic value. ana Mr.. Dltmars Is Lh'e''S''u