Kansas City journal., 1898-11-20
new YORK SNAKE SHOW
OPHIDIAN BEAUTIES HOLD RECEP-
TION IN THE METROPOLIS.
About 200 Specimens On Exhibition
They Appear to Enjoy the
Attention They Re-
ceiVc.


From the New York Journal
With eclat and enthusiasm the First
American Transcontinental Exhibition of
Reptiles opened last night at the Grand
Central Palace. At last the lowIy serpent
can rear its proud head and look the whole
world in the face. The poor, detested
snake has been placed on exhibition just
the same as the horse and the dog and the
barnyard fowl.
From o'clock until near midnight
trembling fearful crowd poured in through
the doors of the Palace and eyed with
alarm all the chinks and shadowy corners
of the rear hall. where the snakes were
holding forth. 1t was motley crowd. and
every new arrival was viewed with alarm.
for nobody knew that his pockets were no;
filled with serpents.
The snakes arrived early in the afternoon.
Some came in great packing cases labeled
Glass; handle with care Some were
trundled in flour sacks. some came in coat
pockets. and still others in hand satchels.
BY o'clock 90 ophidians We're quartered
in their glass cases.
Even more interesting than the snakes
themselves were the persons who viewed
them. Some approached with trepidation,
others with a nonchaianCe that was SUI
perb considering the fact that all of the
dangerous species were safely inclosed in
glass cases But the rasp of L piece of
paper blown across the floor would send
shiver through the throng.
Late in the evening many of the elite
came in from the Horse show. By that
time the snakes Were on better terms with
the audience. and many women present
We're rubbing the back OF the big Brazilian
boa. which was not confined to its cage
Miss Beekman. one of the exhibitors.
stood with a festoon of serpents hanging
from her shoulders. Charles H. Highly,
the artist. loaned his boa to all who would
ask for 1t and 1t was in great demand
A Dangerous Specimen.
One of the finest specimens of the dan
ger class is the huge diamond-backed
rattlesnake from Orlando. Fa. She has
with her brood of baby ratters just a
week old which swarm around their moth
er like chicks around men. The oil moth
ern snake measures six feet in length.
ard is as big around as a mans arm This
old snake has enough poison secreted in
| her poison glands to kill dozen men
In another cage is a fine water mocaS-
| sin. the largest in captivity, and quite as
| poisonous as the rattlesnake. In a cage
above the moccasin a glossy copperhead
moved sinuously back and forth. small but
fatal. The rattler. the mocassin and the
mars, of the Museum of Natural History,
who knows everything worth knowing
about snakes.
| Close to the rattler's cage are some spec
snake, which is quite harmless to man
kind. but never loses an opportunity to
l d X
| This little serpent is very beautifully mark
| ed and is one of the most docile and we'll
| behaved snakes We have.
| A motley crew of soft-shelled turtles.
which look much like boarding house pam
. cakes. were sprinkled over the backs of
| young alligators in large box. and seemed
to enjoy being stared at. The young alli-
| gators were looking for trouble and caused
much CONSERVATION among the turtles and
| the salamanders.
| Hard Egg YOlk On Snake.
| An assortment of picked snakes, toads.
| lizards. turtles and waterbugs. exhibited by
| DIR. G. Lagai. attracted much attention. An
| Indian booth. managed by Mademoiselle
| Falling Star. of the AdirondackS, is one Of
| the unique features of the show
| A swarm of young garter snakes were
| on hand to be fed to the cannibal snakes
when the latter got hungry The cannibalS
| devoured them much as an Italian peasant
| eats his macaroni. All the snakes We're
| supplied with hot water bags last night,
as the heating arrangements had not been
| completed
| The Gila monsters and the Indian py-
| thons have not arrived yet. but the man
| agement hopes they will be on hand to-
| morrow.
| small king snake had an encounter
| with an egg yesterday which nearly proved
| fatal. Ordinarily, a king snake can down
| an egg without much trouble, but some
wag imposed upon this particular snake.
| The egg had been boiled. and the king
snake will eat nothing but sparrows here
| after.