The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-04-29
STRANGE SNAKE FIGHT.
One Reptile Swallowed Another as Big
 as himself.
From the Washington Post.

d5 FIiINSCIs
 From the Washington Post.
 An interesting experiment with snakes, involving the swallowing of one reptile by another of the same size, has recently been conducted in a room of the National museum. The performance was in the nature of a cannibalistic duel, the prin- cipals were a king snake and black snake, respectively, well matched in re- spect of dimensions, but with the odds by the knowing scientists in favor of the king.
 The scene was the private office of Prof. Leonhard Styneger, which Is also a sort of laboratory. Around the walls are ranged jars containing snakes in alcohol, with monstrous lizards and frogs. It Is a weird and uncanny-looxing place. I Tn seperate boxes the live snakes, which were in a famished condition, were brought to the office, and were released from opposite ends of the room. There was little time wasted in preliminaries. The beady black eyes of each reptile seemed to glitter viciously as they caught sight of each other which they did all most immediately upon being released. Perhaps the prettiest feature of the con test was the maneuvering of the snakes for hold. in which their tactics were singularly like those of two expert Wrest- lers allowing. of course, for the anat- otomical differences. Each Bquirming com- blatant seemed to measure about four feet in length, and portions of the virile bodies were erected in the air as they worked for the critical and deadly hold, tho grip at the back of the neck. With the rapidity of lightning, they clinched and became so involved that 1t was very difficult, if not impossible, to tell which was t'other." From the seemingly inex- tricabe tangle the king shot his head, and, behold with Its jaws firmly fixed in the back of his antagonists neck, the contest was decided. All that remained was to nerform the hideous cannibalistic finale, and this the victor proceeded to do, the slowness of cruelty evidently conflict ing with the urgency of hunger.
 Gradually the head of the worsted rep tile was worked about and about, until it became horribly involved In the other g jaws, down which it slowly disappeared, the snake distending the skin of its throat until it seemed about to burst. The rest of the quivering body followed the head. It took the king about an hour, to dis pose or its victim, and when the process was completed the tail of the unfortunate snake was curled up in the others throat. During the course of the operation one of the scientists present wished to cut the body of the snake being swallowed in half, in order tO save, as ne thought the life of the too gluttonous victor, but this suggestion was overruled as it waJ desired by the others to see to what length a snakes cannibalistic appetite arl digestive powers could go.
 At the conclusion of its repast, the king snaKe lay inert, It's body quite stiff, and the skin so distended as to show plainly between the scales. The most singular part of the affair, and one which con- sderably astonished the scientists, was that the torpor did not last, although the body of the snake swallowed was appar- ently digested, or, at all events, that process was evidently begun to such @ degree as to promise complete assimila- tion Whether the assimilation was ever effected however, whether the king snake went upon his rather full meal for con- siderable length of time exulting in his victory or whether he fell a victim to his inordinate canibalism will never, probably, be known. For, about five days after the duel he had sufficient anima- tion to escape, and, for all the scientists know, he may be wandering festively about Washington. This fact need not, however, prove alarming to those persons to whose nerves snakes impart a creepy, crawly sensation, for the king snake is quite harmless to human beings. h. deed, many persons esteem these cann- pals of the snake worlds as pets.