Omaha daily bee., 1906-04-22
The Enntinr Of Snakes.
OF the many curious characteristics OF
REPTILES, none Is more remarkable
~ than the ability to live for a great
ppriod of time without takinn any

NF the many curious characteristics OF
III Reptiles, none Is more remarkable
~ than the ability to live for a great
period Of time without taking any
Inourishment Among serpents In captiv-
lty individuals are noticed which. although
side BY side with those who accept food,
refuse every sort OF nourlshment. This
state OF affairs cannot be indefinitely pro-
longed, but death in many cases does not
occur until after a period which In many
cases Is very great.
Some time ago there was a North Amerl-
can snake In the Museum Of Natural HIS
tory In Paris which did not eat for fifteen
months and a rattlesnake which tasted
for twenty-siX months. NJ. valiant cites
the case OF a pelophlle who Is still living
after twenty-three months of fasting and
python who took food after twenty-nine
months He also reports the death of two
pelophiles due to hamilton, one after three
years and the other after almost four
But the most remarkable case is not Of
the length OF time which the fast lasted,
though this was two years and a half, but
for the loss of weight OF the reptile-that
Is, nearly two-thlrds OF the original
volume. According to experiments on
warm blooded animals death occurs in
dependently Of every other cause when
the subject has lost 40 to 50 per cent Of the
original weight NJ. Pellegrin reached the
same conclusion with reference to ring
absolute fastlng-that Is, deprived not only
OF food but of water-died on the average
after loss of 3S per cent OF the original
weight. In the cases Of those submitting
to relative fasting-that is, not deprived
of water-death occurred after a loss Of
40 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 case:-
The 18th OF November. 1899, there was
placed in the snake house OF the museum
a superb retlcuated python OF Japan,
which measured nineteen and one-half
feet in length, his coloration being living
and brilliant, his diameter enormous and
his activity denoting the most hourishing
state Of health. Furthermore, he mani
tested a dangerously aggressive disposition
He was offered the most diverse foods,
but all were obstinately refused. Sheep,
rabbits. geese, ducks and chickens were in
turn offered, and while at times he stifed
these in his coils he left them without
touching them. He contented himself with
frequent bathing In his basin. and this
fact is important, as death comes much
iuulcker with the ophidians submitted to an
absolute fast.
! The python continued to refuse food and
I began to decrease in volume. the brilliant
land glistening color present at first giving
place to a dull, gray color, and at the
commencement of 1902 he was surprls-
lingly thin, being nothing more than skin
and bone Completely apathetic and In
defensive, he allowed himself to be handled
with impunity. and remained inert rolled
up in the corner of his cage. 1t was sought
to feed him by placing eggs in his mouth,
but IL produced no results. Its death oc-
CURED after q fast Of two years, fve
months and three days.