The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-04-07
DANGER FROM SNAKES.
PHILIPPINE pet" MAY BE I'M
PORTED.
Customs Authorities See Possible Me
mace in the Alleged Harmless Charac-
ter Of the Pipino's Mascot.

A-rulng important to these islands,
was received last week from the Treas
ury Department. This ruling related
to the entrane of reptiles from the
Mainland or any Of our Insular possess
sions. According to the opinion of the
Treasury Department, there is no law
to prevent such reptiles being imported
to the Hawaiian Islands
The full opinion regarding the subject
of reptiles, as well as that regarding
the entrance of mongooses, was as fol-
lows:
The Collector of Customs, Honolulu,
II. 1.-The Department is in receipt of
your letter Of the 18th ultimo, in which
you suggest, first, that measures be
adopted to prevent the landing at any
port in Hawaii from foreign ports or
from any port of the United States, or
from any port of our insular possess
sions, of reptiles; and second, that
measures be adopted to prevent the
landing at any port of the United
States, or any port of our insular pos
sessions, Of mOngooess shipped from
Hawaii
Tn reply l have to state, first that
the Department is aware of no provis-
ion of law which could be invoked to
prevent the importation into your dis
trict of reptiles and, second, the act Of
May %, 1900 and Departments regula-
tions of June 2S 1900, CT D. 22316),
clearly prohibit the shipment of mon
gOoses from Hawaii to the United
States or any of it's possessions. Your
attention is invited to Departments in
structions of December IS, 1907 Ct. d.
2S42O, and February p, 1902, Ct. d.
23546)."
For some time past, it has been APP
|parent to the customs people that there
| was a chance, becoming more acute,
! that reptiles would be imported to these
! islands from the Philippines There is
not likely to be any great influx Of
! Filipinos to Hawaii, but it is believed
| from the character Of some of the
snakes in the Philippines that sooner
or later, some of the hated reptiles will
be brought here.
In the Philippines is a reptile called
the House Snake" from the character
OF it's habitatiOn. Filipino legends as
cribe the quality of a mascot to the
snake. 1t seems to be of the python
variety. The natives of the Philippines.
believe that if one of those snakes lives
about their houses, the bad spirits Will
be driven away. The snakes serve an
additional useful purpose, for they are
said to be excellent rat eXterminatOrs.
Sometimes they attain a length of six
to ten feet, and have jaw large
enough to admit the swallowing of a
big rabbit.
When the soldiers went to the Phil
ippiues, the men did not appreciate the
character of the House Snake, and on
one occasion, one of the reptile mas
cots was killed The owner of the
snake brought forward a claim against
the soldier for $50, Mexican The ma
tive declared that the snake had been
i'm his family for years. 1t had been be-
queathed to him by his grand father
and he valued it at $50 American just
what the outcome of the suit was, is
not known but it caused no end of sur
prise among the soldiers Since then
lit is said that many of the soldiers have
come to regard the snake in the nature
of a pet, and there are quite number
2 OF such pets i'm the army.
The Hawaiian Islands would be the
paradise of snakes and it is for this
reason, that the collector wrote to the
! Treasury Department to be advised re-
garding any possible importation of the
snakes from the Philippines. and else
, where Homeward bound transports
2 are apt, at any time, to have some OF
these house snakes aboard, and tn,
snakes might get loose, or else nigh
be brought here by some one in The
show business, and it was for the pur
pose of preventing such an undesirable
8 thing, that the Treasury Department
was asked for a ruling.
E 1t has been suggested that Delegat,
Wilcox introduce a bill to prohibit thu
: possible importation of reptiles int
d islands The snakes have been kept on
p of here up to this time, and it would
- seem that some steps should certainal,
4 be taken to still keep these islands lilS
< the Emerald Isle.
r The ruling against the entrance o
k the mongoOse, is very gratifying, TO
q the little animal is a very dsagreeabl
y pest. and strict measures will be take
e accordingly by the customs authorities
% to watch for him.
= crr1TT yyu,uuyT.v STAR