The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-10-05

poison proof. It kept its grip on the
throat Of the jararaca, holding il as
in a vice. and twisting it slowly from
one side to the other. It kept its hold.
and then slowly began to wind its
coils about the body of the poisonous
snake. It twisted itself around and
around until it held the body of the
~jararaca as in a vice. 1t then eIe-
| waited it's head and began to pull and
twist until it had pulled apart the
bones Of the cervical vertebrae and
| the snake was practically dead.
1t did not seem dead, however. lis
| coils kept twisting n going through
commissions, and this continued after
the good snake, the mussurama had
taken the head of the dying snake IN
it's mouth and had begun to swallow
it. The head soon disappeared. ana
then, inch by inch, the body moved
slowly into the mouth and belly Of the
1t twisted its mead ms
way and that as it dragged the snake
in, the latter keeping up its colilng
and twisting. This went on Tor 1uhy
ten minutes before the jararaca had
disappeared. The latter was, | lCd8e.
more than four feet in length, ana =
went in a quarter of an inc at g bite.
writhing and turning with the SKIN
unbroken until all was in but the talL
This still wiggled as the mussufan"
gave a final suck and a gulp, AMER
which it again darted out its tongue
as though to ask for more. | co4li
see no perceptible difference IN ne
size Of the good snake, after II haa
swallowed the bad one, and am ioli
that after a long fast. they VIII e@'
three of their poisonous brothers ~
fore they are satisfied TO stop.
Before leaving the lecture room M
doctor had an attendant bring "a e.,
other poisonous snake, the hea4 =.
which was held over q glass 50 Lhae =
bit at the glass and its mouth wa =
opened that the venom could oe =
tracted. He showed me this venom
5 It consisted Of about W or lh1e'
drops of a yellowish, gum-lke nA.o
and I was told there was enough lhF.'
: to cause the death Of several i.5'
t Later on I saw some Of this venom
: turned to crystal. It looked lke
phur, being yellow in color. lh+9
the color Of the venom Of all the pos
= onous snakes of Brazil, with the -
= ception Of the RATHER, whose venom.
t white.
t Leaving the laboratory, We "eh
out to see the snake cities, ana le !.
s introduced to their inmates. We III
S visited the town Of good snaheS
mean the non-poisonous ones.
0 have said they are kept for reseaIe
and experiment only. Only the H
r surama is being bred with the 80
e Of scattering it over the countr4 I
: that it may go out on the 1arfhS i.
a eat up the poisonous SNAKES
d good snakes live in little DONE
houses similar to those l have .
n scribed in the beginning Of tie -tl,'
- and in a similar city. They nav
b we'll and moat about the town ano -
e a tree up which they can clmp a-
IS play in it's branches. hey hgh
well as play and we scw a great Sc
IS Of one species trying to sWaIio"
h smaller one of another. He succet'
ed in getting the little fellow ms
le his body to a depth Of six Inl",
re when the latter sunk his teeth II s.
lie tried to bite his way through. re-
lie ing at it until the larger snake !"
is glad to let him come forth.
is FRANK G.. CARPENIEf.