Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-07-21
SNAKE SWALLOWED SNAKE.
DESPERATE WRESTLING MATCH
IN ANIMAL STORE.
How a Stout, Able-bodied Florida King
Snake Made Meal of a Blue Racer,
Six Feet in Length-MuscuIar Pow
er of Constructing Reptiles.

A stout, able-bodied Florida king
snake swallowed a blue racer, six
feet in length, in a leading bird and
animal store of the capital, last week,
after a game fight on the part of the
latter reptile in seh-defense.
1t appears that some days before
this accident the proprietor had pur-
chased large blue racer from up the
country about Great Fails, placing it
in one of the cages in company with
Florida king snake. AS the Ring
snake had just made hearty meal off
two rats, he then paid little attention
to his new cage mate, although from
the very beginning the racer kept an
eye on his companion, avoiding him at
every turn
AS time went on, however, the king
snake digested his meal. and again
feeling the pangs of hunger, he de-
cided, as there was NO other food in
sight, to gobble up the racer. In fact,
Mr.. King Snake thought, no doubt,
that the blue racer had been placed in
his cage for food, and that he would
be acting the part of an migrate to his
keeper, the proprietor, by not eating
his new found acquaintance
So without more ado he pounced
upon the racer, and for fifteen min
utes the liveliest fight that ever took
place in the shop ensued. The racer
was game and bit the big king snake
on the back of his thick neck more
than once. They struggled and yres-
tied like two Japanese athletes, the
king snake (which like the boa and
python, kills its prey by constric-
tion) trying to wrap himself about
the racer, and the latter trying hard TO
avoid his coils by lodging and biting.
Finally, however, after deal of both
er, the king snake succeeded, and
then the tug Of war began in earn
est. Although more of bitter than
a crusher and stranger, the blue racer
is not destitute OF the power of con-
striction, and for time the two tried
to see which had the best muscle.
The slim blue racer was not much Of
match for the density and avoirdu-
pois of his adversary, and finally be-
coming exhausted, he lay calm, allow
ing the king snake to swallow his
head without offering any resistance.
But this was not for long. The king
snake, after boiling the blue racers
head, was beginning, inch by inch, to
swallow the remaining five feet ten
inches of its body, when the blue racer
made one last and mighty effort
his death struggle, in fact-to break
away from his enemy. The humping
and noise in the cage became so loud
at this stage that it attracted the prop
rietor, who, the moment he saw what
was wrong, summoned an assistant,
and set about trying to save the blue
racer.
The two writhing, twisting snakes
were removed from the cage, and with
the utmost difficulty uncoiled from
about each other. Both the proprie-
tor and his assistant were astonished
at the muscular strength Of the two
snakes, for it required all their
strength to disengage the two from
about each others bodies. FinSa4y,
when this was accomplished, the prop
rietor of the store took hold of the
king snake and his assistant the blue
racer, trying hard to pull the later''s
head out of the mouth of the former.
They soon discovered that this could
not be accomplished without pulling
both snakes heads off, for the king
snake had swallowed enough of the
racer to render it next to impos-
sible to draw the racer out again.
Besides this, the holding-on quail
ties of the king snake were as sur
prising as his constructing abilities,
so that the proprietor rather than kill
both reptiles decided to let the king
snake finish his meal, which he did in
short order, slowing away the racer
as an Indian would a stick of spaghet-
ii. He "swelIed visibly'' under the
operation, and when he finished his
meal his stomach looked tight enough
to burst The funny part Of it all
was was that the racer was about
one and half feet longer than the
king snake. but the latter managed
nevertheless, to dispose of his adver-
sary without leaving any part of his
tail sticking out. While not as long,
the king snake was much bulkier than
the racer, which he evidently doubled
up and over several times during
the swallowing process.
This is not the first time the ami
NAL dealer has met with the wonder
full muscular power of constructing
reptiles. About year ago he hap
pened one day to remove a young
Brazilian boa from one cage for the
purpose of placing him in another. The
new cage was not quite ready, and
while directing his assistant in the
matter his attention was drawn for
the moment away from the boa, which
he held in his right hand. Quick as
lightning the shrewd reptile (there
is no longer any question as TO the
boa's cunning) had wrapped itself
around his arm above the elbow. And
one who has ever seen a boa seize and
rapidity it was done. Wincing I'M
der the excruciat;ng pain, the dealer
shouted to his assistant. who seeing
what had happened, hurried to his en-
ployer's rescue. He was not a sec
ond too soon It took the two nearly
twenty minutes of the hardest kind of
labor to unwrap the boa from about
the dealers arm. The assistant had
to put forth all his strength to twist
the stubborn reptile loose, the dealer
helping as much as was in his power,
which. under the circumstances, was
not very much. Describing his SEN
sations to a Post reporter some days
later. he said that for a time he
though his arm VS. broken. For
nearly two weeks after this his arm
was black and blue from the crush
ing and panied him so greatly that he
could not use it