The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-21
COBRAS AND RATTLERS.
How Poisons of Various Snakes Az
feet the Victims.

New York Mail and Express.
Among the big glass cages and the forest
of palms in the geological park reptile
house visitors were listening to a snake
mans impromptu lecture on the deadliness
OF the various snake poisons. In front of
the huge cage of the cobra the party halted.
cage tree, body resting partly coiled on the
palm leaf bungalow and head resting on the
floor, lay Magma, brownish gray. the
splendid fOurteen-foot specimen, said to be
the finest Of her kind in captivity.
Doesn't look so wicked" suggested one
of the men. Take the rattlers over in the
corner and whether you knew they were
rattlers or not you could see the poison in
their eyes. But this chap
That's one of the characteristics of the
species" interrupted the snake man. Harm
less as far as pain goes. even in death, but
there never was surer death than that
following the bite of cobra. 1t is the
quantity of poison emitted from so large
snake which makes the attack so fatal.
Likewise the method of ejecting the VEN
om The fangs of the cobra are short. In
the case of the RATHER and the other vipers
the fangs are long. n quick slash buries the
poison at a depth where it is sure to enter
the blood. But all the cobras have short
fangs, and to inject the venom properly
they hold on tight, like the grip of bull
dog, giving the poison time to be absorbed
into the blood
There is no easier death than that due
to cobra bite. The poison contains 95 per
cent; OF nerve-attacking and per cent. Of
fore, is paralyzed by inches, losing sensi-
bility and thinking that he is on the road to
recovery until the last. AS the end comes
ne sinks into sleep so gently and passes off
so painlessly that frequently, with physi-
clans sitting by the bedside, it Is impos-
sible to say just when life quit the body.
Unlike most poisonous snakes. the cobra
lays eggs, which are Matched into its
young. As rule, IL is only the harmless
snake that lays eggs-from sixty to eighty
at time-vhile according TO a wise pro-
Gus reptiles are born as in the case of
warm blooGcd animals, in broods number
ing only six or eight at a time.
THE diamond-back rattesnake, for in
stance, brings its young to earth alive. The
American RATHER, in a scale of poisons,
numbers only about third. the fer-de-lance
of the West Indies, as well as the cobra,
ranking before him. The fangs of the rat
tier are long and sharp as the bones of a
shad. Deep and quick, they penetrate the
victims body, the sensation being slight
as the prick of needle until the poison
begins to take effect, which is within five
minutes.
Contrary TO the cobra's bite, the sting of
a RATHER entails tremendous suffering An
alyzed. the venom contains IS per cent. of
blood destroying and 5 per cent. of nerve
destroying poison-directly opposite to that
of a cobra. The consequence is that the
victim dies with all the anguish and pain
of a full case of blood poisoning. all the
suffering of a protracted illness being
crowded into a space of few hours.
noble reptile than that peculiar TO our own
country. Never yet has a RATHER struck
before giving warning. The signal, is
well known, is emitted from the rattles at
the tail of the snake In sound IL resembles
the PARKWAY rattle OF a moving machine
in country meadow or the kissing emit
ted by the escape OF steam from an or
binary radiator. Among the dangerous
snakes of our own South perhaps not an
| other can come up to the cotton-mouth
moccasin. He is one of the few poisonous
water snakes in existence. But his bite
| is almost fatal that of the RATHER
| himself In the swamps and canebrakes
of North and South Carolina the moccasir
| is at home. Here he lies awaiting anything
| that comes along in the fish line, from
frogs to minnowS.
I'm the reptile house. when We have
brood of young raItlers or baby moccasins
| every possible care is taken in their hand
| ling. The youngsters require more car,
| than their older kind. Ii is necessary q
| change their water oftener and feed then
| at shorter intervals. In a large glass DO,
showing plainly from all sides where tn,
/ little ones are located the babies are kept
! The snake man detailed TO handle them Il
provided with long forceps. After opening
| the door with care IL Is necessary TO remov.
| some of the brood near the water or tn
| food trough TO be cleaned. One or two o
| the reptiles are picked up between the THU
| forelegs OF the instrument and thrown int,
| heap in the farther corner of the cage
| There IL is amusing 10 watch their wrath a
| having been disturbed. The little ones col
| into a spiral. their heads are extended. an,
| with the tiny tail. yet unpossessed O
| rattlers. they perform a tremolo, as 1
| warning the Intruder away.
| AS to chemical analysis of cobra poison
| a curious fact Is that two substances hav
Ing almost identically the same chemica
composition can have effects SO different OF