The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-02-17
SNAKE ALIY'
IN A LIBRARY
Mr.. Ditmars Displays His Captiyes
From Carolina swamps.
a NEW VARIETY DISCOVERED.
The Creature Heretofore Unknown
to science-AlIigator's Nest Found
and Eggs Taken and Hatched.
Five Young Ones Live
A NEW VARIETY DISCOVERED.

'Snakes nlive!" or words to that effect.
formed tine burden of the EXPLANATIONS Of
members of the Linnaean Society upon
entering the library OF the American Mu-
scum of Natural History last night. Ray
mond l.. Ditmars, curator of reptiles in
the New York Geological Park, was there
to tell of his experiences as a reptile hunt
err in the swa1nps OF South Carolina, and
to introduce a new variety of snnke which
he had discovered there.
Though only twenty-four years old, Mr..
Ditmars has had eighteen years eSper-.
fence with snakes and the like, for they
have been his chosen playmntes since he
was six His father insisted that he
must not have more than forty Of his pets
in the house at one time, and his mother
had a carpenter put q door on his room
which was warranted reptile proof.
MIR. Ditmars recently arranged with the
biological Society ito send him and his
CHIEF keeper, Charles Snyder, to the lnnd
of swamps.
.Dealers" he explained, don't care
much for handling snakes, so it isn't easy
to buy them We needed representatives
of the sotth, and I decided to get them.
ANTITOXN. SERUM BOTTLE.
..Our outfit comprised only some eight
wards Of fine copper wire, cnnvas suits,
cotton bags to hold our captives, and a lit
tie bottle of antitoxin serum with a sy-
ringe. for use in case of accidents. All
we needed besides was a. quick eye, steady
nerve nnd steady hands. We brought back
ninety-two specimens.
Lest the debutante snake should be shy
on its presentation to society last evening,
Mr.. Ditmars had ten others from the rep
tile-house to keep it company and help
Illustrate his paper. They were temper
arily housed in big glass jars, with cheese
cloth covers.
DIR. Leonard Steineger, curator of the
National Museum in Washington, ID. c.,
, has just seen the nav discovery fhe
doctor is one of the most prominent Of
the worlds psychologists, and says the
creature has heretofore been wholly I'M
known to science.
It's peculiarities are the absence of black
and blue markings found on those of its
kind and the arrangement of ats scales,
which gave it q distinctive red appear
ance. This one Mr.. Ditnars fell on as it
scooted across "a cotton field.
Mr. Ditmars found dt difficult TO get any,
help frornthe negroes"who are mortally
afraid off snakes and who declared that
he must have had voodoo medicine to pro
tect him. This respect for him further
increased when they apparently saw nm
raise snake from the dead.
Hog nosed snakes Tlny possum, lying on
their backs to feign death, but they over
act the part, insisting on proving they
are dead by turning over on t1elr backs
when pushed on their sides. Mr.. Dit
mars laid out one Of these reptiles and
convinced u crowd of colored folk that 1t
was dead. until they saw him extract
the vitality from the atmosphere am ap-
parently restore it to life.
FOUND. AN AIIIG ATOR'S, NEST
One of the most interesting discoveries
of the two hunters was an nlligatorss nest.
The bellowings of Mrs. Alligator drew
their attention to tracks which she had
made to the pools where she went to tlsh.
Beside one of them they found the nest
a mound about four feet high and hVe
in diameter. Moss and deeomposing Yese-
tation made the heap. Eighteen lnches
below the surface they found thlrty-siS
clean white eggs, not leathery, like those
of MANY reptiles, but hard.
Discovered on August 10, and shipped 10
the reptile house here, the first egg was
hatched on October 18th, seven LITTLE ALL
gators coming one after the other INTO the
world. Five are still living and are now
about nine inches long.
Forty little snakes have been produces
from other specimens which MIR. Dltmars
| brought home-New York Hernld.
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