The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-29
REPTILES IN CAPTIVITY.
ARRIVAL OF INDIAN PYTHON AT
THE GEOLOGICAL PARK.

From che New York Evening Post.
"The old theory that the mother snake
swallows her young uaen she is frightened
and disgorges them alive when che danger
is past is not true" said the manager OF
the snake show. 1T probably grew from
the fact that there are cannibal snakes 90
whom a young snake is the daiuuest OF
tid-bits, and they have no doubt been seen
10 swallow entire families on short notice.
No one ever saw The Inflated waits reap
pear, however That was taken on faith.
The MOI her snake shows 10 feeling nor in
terest ia her offspring.
Few snakes are venomous. There are
but two in the part of Norm America
north of Mason and DiXons line and east
Of the Mississippi river They are the
banded rattlesnake and the eopperhead.
Both belong to the great family Of pit vip-
ers. The puff adder is frequently mistaken
for a copperhcad, ana there is a common
land erroneou) belief that its breath Is
poisonous.
Every portion OF the snakes body IL
delicately sensitive 10 vibrations, and he
discerns sound or movement as readily
as animals that have ears.
'When lie Is Ilee, fDe snake taxes IIc~
quent baths in rivers and ponds. His skin
he sheds several times a year, more fire.
Quently when in captivity. He thus rids
himself of vernHn. The smaller snakes
slough every three or four weeks, and the
larger ones three or four times year. II
is interesting 60 watch a snake emerge
from his cast-cff skin. He first ioosens II
from the upper and lower jaws, and then
crawls out, leaving 1t wrong side out
much as you pull off your glove. Having
no eyelids, as the time approaches for
him TO shed his skin the transparent eye
plates become opaque and of blush color
and If lCr any reason the process OF she'd
ding them is DELAYED, the reptile becomes
blind. In freedom he rubs the plates off
easily on rugged bark and rocks; but
in captivity il is often necessary 10 help
him by removing the eyeDlates with
knife. If pieces Of the skin are allowed
TO remain they produce Inflammation, 10
which snakes are particularly subject. For
a little while before shedding his coat a
snake has a rusty, unkempt appearance
After the removal of the old skin, how>
ever, his colors look fresh and bright and
have an irideecent cast"
Snakes are domesucated ike cats i'm the
managers family. Cardinal R.chelieu, s.
named because of his red color. seems to
enjoy especially gliding around The necK
and up the sleeves of the managers wife
when she is playing the piano, or coiling
table, and with his head and five or six
inches of his body erect in the air watch
ing her as she works.
See this garter snake raise half of h-
body straight up and bend II at a richt
angle in the center. DO you consider wha
strength Of muscle that position requires?
Women eyince more interest in snakes
than men, and it is not infrequenuy the
case that visitors who shudder at the
sight of the reptiles when they first enter,
overcome their nervousness entirely before
leaving, and handle them with perfect
freedom That young woman over there
who is petine a garter snake could hardly
be induced 10 look inio the cages yes ter
day morning Another young woman who
was here last evening wanted The python
put around her neck There won d have
been no danger in doing i'll, as he is tame
but he weighs forty pounds ana is rather
heavy for a muller.
This boa skin is loaned by the only man
in America. who ever kent a pet cob
which hc handled. A strange supersitt OF
about the cobra has by the way been re-
Gently explained 10 me b. a traveller Prof
H. Heuzoidt i'm a visit 10 Ceylon. tere
these serpents abound. and prove deadly 10
hundreds of people of that country every
year, was told by coffee planters and ma
tives that one cobra cut Of every twenty
carries a precious stone which shines in
the dark JJpon inquiry he found that the
story was credited MOI only BY the natives
but bv Europeans, and was also generally
believed IN India The cobra, il VS. said
carried the {ewel about with him in Ills
mouth ana guarded it with the greatest
care the mos singular mart OF the s.orv
being that the animal had been seen to re-
main. with the stone in front Of him on
the ground. and evidently admiring ana
cniovipg its glow for hours
prot HensoldI not oulv disbeleved the
story but felt surprise that any inteIligent
person should give crsdence TO il. until
one evening when cobra was pointed out
to him by a native ana in front OF the
creature. sure enough. there was a luml-
mons STONE ana enrroundiro II a bost OF
common 0reaies. The stone was Obtained
and found to he a rare variety of iuor-
sDar Prof. HensoIdt believes that The CO.
bra has learned that the shining stone will
d4eov hrenles nv This sitnnle hut Inre
uious means he calls his aarna TO hin, Inc
little stone constituting his stock in trade
ana means Of livelihood