The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-12-25
DO FISH INDULGE IN sLEEPs
WAYS OF A SNAKE CHARMER.
The secret of His Power Over
Reptiles.
(From Forest and stream.)

(From Forest and Stream.)
Since writing to Forest and Stream
a description of my own particular
snake and his fantastic antics on my
desk and around picture mouldings
in my Office, my vision along these
lines has been so enlarged that 1 have
beheld a whole box full of reptiles of
various sorts and degrees. There were
several dozens of them-rattlers, cop
perheads, chickens snakes, garter
snakes, pine snakes, bull snakes,
coach whips, etc. In the midst
of the snakes sat a wo-
man, sitting on smaller box
within the larger one. The woman wore
slippers on her feet, which reposed on
the bottom of the box, in contact with
the snakes. When she wished to single
out some particular snake to pick up
and exhibit to inquirers she would grab
a handful of the others and rake them
aside as If they were so many broom
sticks. One old RATHER remained near
the woman, and would rear his head
up to be scratched under the throat,
which he seemed to enjoy.
Amid the half-dozen rattlesnakes in
the box there was one alone that was
anu L HIS OllG W dS
a BLACK Mexican RATHER" that the
woman was very cautious about keep
ing him in one corner of the box by
means of a light stick that she had
for the purpose. Finally she drew out
of the box she was sitting on a re-
markable looking reptile fully 1--WE
feet long, of glistening black color
above and dark underneath, that she
called an Egyptian viper. About all the
other snakes the woman talked in a
natural and unaffected manner. but for
the wiper" she evidently had a set
speech that she had memorized set
ting forth that it belonged to the same
species as that which Cleopatra had
applied to herself in order to Join
Antony in the realms beyond stating
that this specimen was of monstrous
size, as its species attained a length
usually twenty to thirty inches, and
calling attention to the form and size
of its scales, being rounded like those
OF fish and much larger than those
of American snakes. On being ques-
toned about its dentition she partly
opened the snakes mouth with her
fingers, which operation was passive
ly resisted by the snake, and showed
me that 1t had no fangs, but two elon-
gated projections of the jawbone with
knifelike edges, the ends of which near
ly met at the front of the mouth, leav-
ing a narrow cleft between, through
which she said the venom was elected
from the mouth and injected into the
wounds made by the knife edges. She
Kept the viper in the small box. for
the protection of the other snakes
which she said it would kill in short
order If allowed it's liberty among them,
She showed me two parallel wounds
transversely across the under side of
one of the snakes. made by the viper.
She also said that it ate fragments of
raw meat, and masticated its food be-
fore swallowing
Now, this woman was, of course. a
professional" but she was an Hitter
ate person and talked with candor and
good sense about the snakes, making
no mystery about her power over them.
She SAID that the, venomous snakes
were not Invested of their fangs. as
Is popularly supposed.and that II would
DO no good If they were, as the lost
fangs would speedily be replaced nv
new ones. But their docility was due
to the fact that they had become ac-
customed to her and knew that thew
need rear no injury at her hands. She
rightly said that venomous snakes
nave no disposition to bite unless
alarmed or excited. and that the venom
WIN which they are supplied is not for
thelr defense, but to capture their
prey This fact becomes obvious when
we reject that the venom of a snake
anords 1t no protection from its enc
mics; and that 1t is invariably killed
when attacked. notwithstanding anv
injury that 1t may infiict with its fangs
upon the attacking party.