Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-04
LONG FAsTs OF SNAKES.
Some Remarkable Facts Gathered by
the Revue Scientifque, Paris.

Some Remarkable Facts Gathered by
the Revue Scientihque, Paris.
vrom Public opinion.
NJ. j. Pellegrin has written to the Zoolog-
Zeal Society of curious case of fasting of a
serpent and in this connection 1t may be
stated that frequently among the ophidians
there are observed cases of fasting the du-
ration of which is extraordinary. Among
serpents in captivity individuals are noticed
which, although side by side with those who
willingly accept the food given them, OBJ
stinately refuse all and every sort of nour-
ishment This state of affairs cannot be In
definitely prolonged, but death frequently
does not occur until after lapse of time
which in many cases is very great, as will
be seen from the following interesting par
ticulars:
At the snakehouse of the Museum of Nat
ural History in Paris facts of this nature
are noticed frequently. and August Dumeril
cites the case of snake of North America
which remained fifteen months without TAX
ing nourishment and rattlesnake which
only ate at the end of twenty-six months.
Nd. Valiant cites the case of pelophile
which is still living after twenty-three
months of fasting and python who only
took food at the end of twenty-nine months:
This observer further reports the case of
two pelophiles which died of hamilton, one
after three years, the other after the ex-
traordinary period of forty-nine months;
tnat Is, more than four years
The case which we wish to especially no.
tice here is remarkable not for the duration
Of the fast-which was sufficiently long
nearly two and one-half years-but above
all for the loss of weight of the animal;
that is, nearly two-thirds of the original
volume. According to the Investigations of
Chossat at Geneva, experiments which
were made on warm-blooded animals for
the most part, it seems that death occurs
Independently of every other cause when the
subject has lost 40 to so per cent of the
original weight. NJ. Pellegrin reached the
same conclusion with reference to ring
snakes, which. after being submitted to alb
solute fasting-that is, deprived not only or
food, but of water-died on the average after
a loss of IS per cent of the original weight.
In the cases of those submitted to relative
fasting-that is, not deprived of water
death occurred after loss of 43 per cent
of the original weight, but the duration Of
life was with them three times greater.
1t is not the same in the following cases:
The 18th of November, 1899, there was
placed in the snakehouse of the museum
superb reticulated python of Japan, which
measured nineteen and one-haH feet in
length, his coloratien being living and
brilliant, his diameter enormous, and his
activity denoting the most fiourishing state
| Of health. furthermore he manifested
dangerously aggressive disposition. He
was offered the most diverse foods, but all
were obstinately refused. Sheep, rabbits,
geese, ducks and chickens were in turn Of
fered, and whilst at times stifed these
| in his coils he left them without touching
them. He contented himself with frequent
bathing In his basin. and this fact is i'm
| portant, as death comes much quicker with
| the ophiaians submitted to an absolute fast
The python continued to refuse food and
| began to decrease in volume, the brilliant
ant glistening color present at first giving
place to dull, gray color, and at the COM
mencement of 1902 he was surprisingly thin,
| being nothing more than skin and bone.
Completely apathetic and inoffensive. he
allowed himself to be handled with impuni-
| ty, remaining perfectly inert, rolled up in
! the corner of his cage. At different times
| 1t was sought to feed him by means of eggs
placed In his mouth but this nourishment
| produced result. and hts body rapidly
| became covered with sores, fragments OF
| gangrenous skin were detached from the
| creature, and the odor was very disagree
| able. 1t was observed that partial and sue
| cessive death Of the organs preceded in a
| way the total DEATH which occurred the
20th of April, 1902: that is. after two years
| five months and three days of fasting
| The animal weighed at the time of death