The Savannah morning news., 1901-09-01
A NATIONAL REPTILE SHOW.
SOME FACTS ABOUT UNCLE SANS
SNAKE MAN.

Names Oh a Few or the harmless
Snakes-A Description of the
Tooth of "a Cobra or RattIcsnnLe.
A Reptile which Has "a Third Eye.
The Quaintest of Living Lizards.
other Facts About Reptiles or
General Interest.
Washington. Aug. 2s.-Some time,
when you are visiting the national cap
ital and find a spare hour or two, Lad
wise you to spend it with Uncle Sam
uel's nake-man-that is, If you are
fond of the wierd and curious. and that
delightfully."- creepy" sensation which
inclines most people to ghost stories
and other gruesome tales, though sleep
be murdered for nights to come. You
will find the snake-man in his den,
down under the National Museum; and
it makes little difference what time of
day or night you choose, because it is
always gaslight in those subterranean
regions. You must remember that there
are only five great snake collections in
the world-those that belong to yhe
governments of London, Paris, Berlin,
Vienna and Washington. Ours is UNI
der the care of a well-known Norwe-
gian professor, who loves his reptiles,
alive or dead, as most people do their
babies. Very little is said about him
and his pets, for the obvious reason
that too many visitors would not only
be extremely troublesome, but in i'm
minent danger themselves; therefore,
venture to assert that few residents of
4I,1 o,a3f aI hnxv h., vI af III ms
tional reptile show, and fewer seen it.
Even employees of the museum, some
of whom have spent their working
hours there for many years, have never
heard of it. You will have some. diffi-
Guilty getting i'm with the professor,
who really doesn't want company dur
ing what he calls business hours. Hav-
ing found him and insinuated yourself
into his favor enough to secure the
coveted invitation-be sure, whatever
happens, to suppress all outward evil
dence of that natural antipathy felt
by the children of Adam for wigglers,
ever since the curse in Eden, or the
professor will politely but firmly show
you out, without loss of time.
You will probably find him in his
work room, surrounded by defunct rep
tiles in bottles of alcoholic very best
place for such creatures, you think,
but wisely keep the not original idea
to yourself. While handling the bot
ties with tenderest care and exhibiting
their contents with pardonable pride
considering that their preparation has
been the study of his life-the genial
little man keeps up running fire of
conversation. ooh, yes," he says, this
collection is far ahead of all others in
the world in respect to the snakes of
North America. How did l get them
all? Well, many were contributed by
private individuals. People send them
from everywhere alive and dead; a
good many come by exchange with sci
entific institutions abroad. Not few
are obtained through the Department
of Agriculture, and the Geological ana
Geodetic surveys. Any government eX
petition, such as that of the Mexican
Boundary Commission, for example, is
likely to furnish a good deal of rare
material. Here is a fine jarfull of rep
tiles and batrachians sent to us some
years ago by young Astor Chanler
from his explorations in Africa. I'm
fortunately, we cannot employ field
agents to gather serpents, because one
comes across them only by merest
chance, at comparatively rare inter-
walls. The dead specimens usually come
are put into suitable jars. each species
having bottle by itself. Sometimes
it is desirable to preserve only
the sekelton. That is an ex
tremely delicate and difficult task
with snakes. The flesh must first be
every bit removed with forceps and
small scissors. Then the tiny bones
are carefully scraped, great pains be-
ing taken to preserve the cartilaginous
- Ill he
regarded as the feet of the snake,
which actually walks on the points of
it's ribs. Boas and pythons have rudi-
mentary hind legs.
Observing my look of establishment.
if not incredulity, the Professor proved
his statement by exhibiting some con-
venient skeletons. Perhaps this is the
explanation of a part of the course that
has puzzled heads wiser than mine
Upon thy belly thou shalt CO." or
words to that effect indicating that
before the serpent beguiled Mother
Eve into her disastrous apple scrape he
had been in the habit of preambulat-
ing the earth in some other way.
Pointing to a big jar too heavy to
lift, which appeared to be packed with
soft velvet, striped in dull brown and
green, the Professor remarked, THAT
is a Python; but only a little one, not
more than eighteen feet long" Good
gracious!" said 1, what do you call a
creditable python?" well, they often
attain a length of thirty. and even
forty feet, and a diameter of a foot
and a half, or two feet. What would
l do if / met such a fellow alive in
the woods? / should certainly run away
if / could. My scientific knowledge
might give me some advantage in an
encounter with the beast, and If he
seized me, and l could keep my wits
about me, which isn't likely, I should
try to grasp him around the throat and
hold tight with both hands until /
strangled him. / have been told by
those who ought to know that is the
easiest way to kill a python. or any
other very large snake, and really not
difficult il one retains his presence of
mind. Being grasped close to the head,
his snakeship cannot bite, nor bring
his crushing coils around you, and the
breath of life is very soon choked en-
tireIy out of him. Still, / cannot say
that care to try the experiment.
The Professor continued-meanwhile
stroking the head of a harmless living
snake. numbers of which were wander
ing about among the funeral urns of
their departed relatives. or reposing in
corners. or climbing up their masters
legs, like this particular pet he was
fondling-"Neither has my profession
al zeal ever led me to try the effects
of bites on my own person, as
so MANY of nv colleagues do. Several