The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1900-10-26


year. Little wonder that the Gov
ernment pays bounty for the heads
OF venomous snakes. or that il readily
agreed. few years ago. 10 assist Pro
fessor Calmette in his experiments in
making from the venom OF serpents
an antitoXic serum which should serve
as an antidote 10 snake poisoning.
The work OF Professor Calmette was
done AT the Pasteur Institute. The
venom which he used was collected
for him at Delhi from the fangs OF
living snakes-about hundred a week
and was forwarded in weekly install
ments 10 Paris.
The man employed TO catch these
creatures and extract their venom was
n low-bred Mohammedan OF the dis
trict named .Kullan, snake-catcher
by profession. His father and grand
father before him had followed the
same trade, and had both finally died
Of Kullan and his methods has re-
Gently been published.
His only weapon in snake hunting
was a stick two feet long, with an iron
hook at the end. He went lightly
clad and barefooted. He used his
naked hand to catch the snakes 10y
the tail or hack Of the neck, after jerk
ms them from their hiding places with
his hook.
or the four kinds OF poisonous snakes
with which he had 10 deal-the cobra.
the kerait and two kinds of viper-he
used most caution with one Of the
yipcrs, because ii is swift in its mov,-
ments and irritable in temper. He
feared the cobra least. because il is
less rapid ana it not aggressive He
would allow cobra TO strike directly
NJ his hand, sure he could whip il
touch. but he did not risk such liber-
ties with the lightning little viper.
kullan never pretended TO any magic
or peculiar influence over serpents He
was in the catching business and was
not a Snowman. Nevertheless, ne oc-
casionally played startling tricks TO
amuSe his friends.
ION one occasion he made the on
lockers blood curdle," writes an En-
glishman who was present, "by taking
up a large black cobra 10y the neck
and placing its head toward his open
mouth The inclination Of these snakes
is 10 crawl quietly out of sight in the
first hole they can find, and 50 the
reptile began 10 crawl into his mouth
"kullan waited his opportunity, and
then suddenly closed his teeth firmly
on the serpent's head. The snake, il
is needless 10 say, violently resented
the action; but Il was powcrlcss for
harm, and could only show its inaig-
nation by desperate wriggling of its
body, while the man maintained n firm
grip Of its head with his teeth, At the
same time letting both hands drop
to his side. After few seconds he
seized the snake firmly by the neck
and released its head"
When he did not purposcly tease his
cobras, he could handle them freely
without annoyance on their part: in
deed, they seemed TO like 1t, for his
touch was gentle and he talked TO
them endearingly i'm HinduStani, strok-
ing ana pctting them as if they had
been harmless worms
With an angry cobra he dealt other
wise. He would hold up and shake
n rag in his left hand. On this the
infuriated reptile would riyet its gaze.
With his right hand, from behind. the
man would then suddenly seize 1t
round the neck about three inches be-
low the head, and an assistant would
lay hold of the tail to prevent it from
winding round Kullan's arm.
His right hand would then slide for
ward till he had fastened his fingers
round the neck just behind the jaw.
Then he would insert the rim Of
between the jaws. slight
ly relax bis grip,anl the serpent would
vic.ously close It's jaws on the watch
glass. and in doing 50 would squirt
the whole of ilS venom through the
tiny EolcS of It's fanSs into the Concay-
ity Of the glass
There it dried into flakes. which
were aftcrward reduced 10 yellow pow
der and sent 10 Professor Calmette in
Paris.-Youth's Companion