The Serpents In The Tower...
The Times, 1824-09-02T00:00:00

[From a Corra-nnnIn- i v He puouc, wre believe, are not generally awzare of the cixte,,, in the Royal AMenagerie at the Tower of a very fine Collection of that species of snake called the boa constrictor. I e were induced te at tend there on Mfonday lazt for the PEurpose of being witness to the mode in which these animals receive their sustenance, ald to dis- cover how far the descriptien given by various authors of their mna ner of ditsposing of their prey tallies with what misht actuAllp occLur under our ov;n observation. The animal selected by the keeper tori the purpose was the largest there, ant meassured, we believe, en feet! in length, and 7 inches in diameter Ill its thickest part Previous tgi receiving its prey, it appeared very lively, and peered about wit? it; head in all directions, occasioning its body to assumne those beaadful curvations of whicb the snake species are so capable. On perceiving the approach of the keeper with the rabbit destined for Its meal, it withdrew all appearance of vigour and motion ; but the moment rabbit was placed in the cage, it sei2e(% its head with so astontislingly rapid a motion, that tite eye could not keep pace with it, and bry a simultaneous action of its body, it compressed its folds sO tightly round that of the rabbit as to crush everr bone that was wvithira its grasp. This rapid change was nervots to behold, and a rivid ital gination could not but picture to itself the fearful scetne of crushins and struggling which the seizure of such an animal as a decr or an oz would create by a larger animal of this species. TIhat such sreneE have occuired, and have likewise been witnessed, we doubt not Sut until we witnessed the convulsive but ineffectual struggles of he unfortunate rabbit in the ravenous atnd garled grasp of the serpent on this occasion, our concepdon reachued nofarther than the co' nor belief attached to the relation of the tremendous powers of this spe cies of snake. To enable the snake to gorge his prey with thebgreace facility, he was removed into the coto.r'ard, when the glittering o the sun-beamns upon his purple scales added much to the interes and beautv of the enectacle. WVhen the rabbit was motionles, thr snake graually loosened his folds, still retaining his hold by ttt$ head; and having fully ascertained the death of his victim, he prc ceeded to stretch the body of the rabbit, which be very curioud performed, in drawing it by the heed through a. rinR fotrei fron the folds of his body; this he repeated until the whole was a mass After lubricating the head very nuch, but no other part, he pro ceeded to swallow the rabbit, which ac.icn he accelerated by pushi ing it down his throat against his srwii body, and bv a strong retra tion and re-expansion of the muscles which lay at the back of th head; by degrees the ansnal disappeared, until nothing rnore wa vieible than s long lumrn in the snake's throat. whichl it impelled for ward 1v the action of tbe muscles, until it reached the rniddle of i oddv, where it remained. Such i theC mode of tilis animal' taking sustenance; and if we comnpare th5s account with thos furnished by various writers, and particulArlv with that i us bv Dr. Macleod of the Akcste, we shall fird them differ i nowise except in the circumstance of this snake's omitting to lubr cate the whole of the body of its prey, which, however, mav hav arisen fromn the ditninutive size of the object upon which it fed ; fo the ease with which the rabbit was gorged was so Freat as to lea us to imagine that a dog thrice the size would experience very litti difficulty in obtaining a temporary residence in this serpent's ma Thcre is also in this mnenageric one of the most beautiful specimen oftthat harmnless reptile the harlequin snake, that was ever seen this country, the variety and brilliancy of whose colours are such to excite the highest a8mtiration in the visiters. This is a native Ceylon, and has bere shown to His Ala,esty, who wzas likewisehig ly pleased with its beauty and vivacity. THE SERPENTS IAN Tr;p7 7rn-r, ,