The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-05-03
BILL SNYDER HEARS
 OF SNAKES AT PLAY
Herman's Narrative Is Climax to Suf- ferings of Head Keeper at the
 Central Park Zoo

l
 or Bill Snyder. head animal keeper
 at Central Park. was polishing his ar
 ticle on the man eating goldfish yes
 terday, when O Bill Herman, who lives
 over Jersey way. came in and greeted
 him cheerily says the New York Sun. {, There had been some coolness on MT. i Snyder's part since MT. Herman told
 the strange tale of the New Jersey bear
 that tried to shoot him and shot itself by mistake, and the acidity in MT. Snyder's greeting was unmistakable.
 That bear still dead ?" he inquired,
 sarcastically. f- .sr srst htss sin
 "Why, great snakes Bil1l' protested
 MT. Herman. Didn't you believe ] Then he stopped and 1t seemed he
 had been reminded of something. Hitch
 ing his chair close to MT. Snyder's desk,
 he leaned confidentially over and trans
 fixed the now desperate Snyder with
 earnest eyes. permitting the following
 tale to percolate through his long l sandy whiskers. T was going through the woods over near Little Round Top the other day" he began, "when I saw something that reused my curiosity. It was in a lit tie glade, sort of natural clearing in the brush, and in the middle stood
 one of these slippery elm trees with a straight branch about 10 feet above ground"
 Whats curious about that?" de- manded Snyder. Wait minute Bill You don't give fellow a chance" protested MT Her man.
 The curious thing was that about half way out on that limb the bark had been worn as smooth as an ax handle for the space of a couple of inches and right underneath and right In line with it was 8 deep furrow in the ground, just the same width as the smooth place on the limb. Well, I went back about 10 feet and
 sat down on log. trying to figure out
 the connection between those two things ard what do you thing happened?" Its rather warm for this time of year." said Mir Snyder. impersonally Yes, indeed. We'll, as sure as you're sitting there, Bill Snyder, it wasn't more than minute before more than a dozen rartlesnakes wriggled out of the brush
 end began to cut up like they was out on a holiday
 There was one little fellow that was Particularly frisky anu he kept playing so many practical jokes that the others were for chasing him home, but he prom ised to be good and they let him stay.'' Well, pretty soon I see that what them snakes was doing was just warm ing up. so to speak, for the big event of the day.
 'They lay down in row, right in a
 line with the furrow I told you about, and the smooth place on the tree branch
 ever it, with the little snake with the blue eyes in front.'' "Blue eyes?' Light blue.
 "Ohn'
 the little snake ahead was a-danglinr all of a sudden all of them snakes gave sudden hump and snapped themselves backward and the next thing I knew the little snak ahead was a-danglinr over that limb and the other snakes were hanging below him. "All this happened yesterday" Certainly
 At about what time yesterday would you say?"
 Three forty or possibly s:l5 in the afternoon"
 "Oh"
 Then the little snake wiggled over that branch until his head reached tho ground so that he could seize in hIs mouth the tail of the snake that was last in line and complete circle.' Snyder interrupted sadly.
 Then they loopel the loop, didn't they?" he inquired.
 Sure they did. How did you know? Began moving slow at first each snake humping himself when he reached the limb and when he got to the ground. Fhat'e what had worn the bark off the tree and made the furrow.
 When they got to going real good they made a regular hoop and just touched the limb and the rround once e Isx.k y~ I guess they made about 200 revolutions . minute"
 Must have been pretty sight"
 IL was, but the little snake had Co spoil it."
 The one with the blue eyes?" Yes could see he was up to some devi1ment And all of a sudden he let % tho tail of the snake ahead of him"
 Cracked the whip?"
 Yer, and the last see Of those snakes they was calling like ! longl