The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1901-09-11
SOME FACTS ABOUT
lll,LE SANS SNAkE-NiN.
a NATIONAL REPTILE SHOW UNDER
the GOVERNMENT MUSEUM.
What Can Be Found in Tie Keepers Work
Room. Information About Ser
mantle of General Interest.

Room. Information ABOUT ser
pents of General Interest.
Some time when you are visiting the
national capital and find spare hour
or two. advise YOU TO spend 1t with
Uncle Samuel's ake.man-that Is, II
Won are fond of the wierd and curious
and that delightfully."- "creepy" sensa'
tion which inclines most people TO
ghost stories aud other gruesome tales,
4houph sleep be murdered for nights to
come. says a Washington correspond
emit You will find the snake man in
his den. down under the Lational mu-
snum: and it makes little difference
what time of day or night you choose,
because it is always gaslight in chose
subterranean regions. You must re-
member that there are only nVe great
snake collections in the W0rld-those
that belong to the governments OF
London, Paris, Berlin, Vienna ana
WASHINGTON. Ours is under the care
of well-known Norwegian professor,
who loves his reptiles, alive or dead,
m DSL DSODIG w I4ChL btSCASS' - y
little is said about him and his pets,
for the obvious reason that 100 many
visitors would not only be extremely
Troublesome. but in imminent danger
themselves: therefore, venture 10 as
sert that few residents OF the capital
have ever heard OF the national reptile
show, and fewer seen Il.
You will have some difficulty getting
4, - who really
doesn't want company during what he
calls business hours. Having found
him and instructed himself into his ia
vor enough to secure the coveted lnvl-
tation be sure, whatever happens, TO
suppress all outward evidence OF that
natural antipathy telt by the children
OF Adam for wigglera, ever since the
curse of Eden, or the professor Will po-
litely but firmly show you out, without
loss oi time.
You will probably find him in his
work room, surrounded by detunct rep
tiles in bottles of alchohol-tne very
best place for such creatures, you
think, but wisely keep the not original
idea TO yourself. VI lille han4llng the
hotties with tenderes. care and eX-
hibiJtag their contents with pardona-
Bile pride-considering that their prep
aration has Deen the study OF his
life-the genial little man keeps up a
running ire OF conversation. ION,
yes" ne saws, this collection is far
ahead OF all others in the world in re-
spect to the snakes of North America
How did | get them all: Well, many
were contributed by private lndlvld-
uals. People send them from every
where alive aud dead: good many
come by exchange with scientific IN
situations abroad. Not few are OBJ
tanned through the department or ag-
riculture. ana the geological and geo.
detic surveys. Any government eX-
peditiOn, such as that OF the Mexican
boundary Commission, for example, is
likely TO furnish a good deal OF rare
material Here is Il tine jar 1uli OF
reptiles and batrachians sent TO Us
some wears ago by young Astor Cban-
Ter from mis- explorations in Africa.
The dead specimens usually come in
alcohol After being Identified they
are put into suitable jars, each species
having a bottl. by itself. Sometimes
ii is desirable to preserve only the
skeleton. That is an extremely dell
cate and difficult task with snakes.
The flesh must first be every bit re-
moved with forceps and small scissors.
Then the tiny bones are carefully
scraped. great pains being taken TO
preserve the cartilaglnous eXtreml-
Ties OF the ribs. These may be regard
ed as the feet # the SNAKE, which ac-
Iually walks on the points OF It's rios.
Boas and pythons nave documentary
HAD legs
Observing my look of establishment
If not incredulity, the professor proved
his statement by exhibiting some con-
venient skeletons. Perhaps this Is the
avnIanation Of the part Of the course
than has puzzled heads wiser than
mine-"Upon thy belly thou shalt go, }"
or words TO that effect iudicati. 2 that
before the serpent begGiled mother
Eve into her disastrous apple scrape
he han been in the habit OF preambu-
lating the earth in SOTne other way.
Pointing to big jar. too heavy to
Tiff. which appeared TO be packed with
soft velvet. striped in dull brown and
rraen. the professor remarked, That
PythOn: but only little one. not
more than eighteen feet long. Good
gracious" said [, what do you call a
ere6iranla pcthon?" "Well, they of
rem attain a length OF thirty and even
forty feet and diameter OF 1907 ana
q half. or two feet. " haV would 90
if I met such fellow alive in the
wood: should certainly run away II
conld. Nv scientific knowledge
might give me some advantage In an
encounter with the beast, and if he
seized me, and could keep my wits
about me, which isn't likely, should
trv to grasp him around the throat and
hold tight with both hands. until |
strangied him. I have been told by
those who ought to know that is the
easiest way to kill a python, or any
other very large snake, aud really not
difficult if one retains his presence OF
Dr. 1rrnS ned Close To the head