Year: 1862

logical Gardens.


We have some further particulars about the
huge African serpent which lately laid about
hundred eggs as large as those of goose, ct
the Geological Gardens in London. She has
after eleven years residence in the Regents
Park, become celebrated all at once, and the
savans aud naturalists who have themselves
hatched many theory IN their dusty dens, are
low daily assembling to keep watch and ward
over the incubation carried on by the great
serpent. The traits of her character are now
eagerly sought from the keeper. who has all
along attended 10 her. 1t appears that she
has been in the habit of treating the small
male which concerts with her 10 very off
hand sort of manner, and the strong minded
women may draw another argument in support
Of their doctrines from this fact She has been
in the habit of taking much the largest share
OF food provided for them, having on one oeca-
sion bolted ten full.grown rabbits one after
the other Up to the time of her laying the
eggs, her great size has been source of won
der and some uneasineSs to the keepers and au
thorities of the Gardens. Some declared that
she must have swallowed blanket and found
it indigestibe even in her nav; +; but her espe-
cial attendant resolutely denied the insinuation.
No one suspected the real cause of her increas
ed size. The eggs are connected by a men,
brane, and they are all of dirty white, except
two These are red in color, and smaller than
the Others. Since the laying, she takes nothing
to eat, and exhibits, indeed, very savage
temper. One Of the rabbits introduced for the
consumption of the serpents having come near
her, she seized it by the throat and flung it
across the den. She has snubbed her husband
too, on several occasions. If he comes near
her, as she lies upon her eggs she shoulders
him aside by one of her massive coils. The
keeper has only once seen her off her eggs
since she began the process of incubation. On
that occasion he FASTENED round to the back
of the den, in hopes to get good look at the
eggs, but before be could do so, she had coled





not fed for twenty-four weeks. The editor of
the London AthaenGm has visited the Gardens
and thus speaks of her:


The keeper kindly went round to the back
of the cage, opened the door, and removed the
blanket cautiously. There, true enough, in d.
rect opposition to the non n-hatching theory,
was the mighty Pythoness in great COILS


Fold above fold, surgy maze, her head


Crested aloft,'


beneath her lowest coil were punches of eggs,
some plainly visible between the folds of the
coil, others, as the keepers said, being only
partially seen in consequence of their being
overlaid by the serpents body. Some of the
eggs were of a dirty greeu-white, decomposition
having probably taken place a supposition
strengthened by the odor emanatng from them
and also from the serpent. The removal of
the blanket though effected most quietly, i'm
mediately excited the Pythoness Her head,
which was lying on the topmost coil, in the
best position for observation, was suddenly
raised she became restless, darted out her
long quivering tongue with great rapidity, and
would have struck the keeper had he not re-
covered her with the blanket and put an end
to her irritation. 1t will be interesting TO
watch the result. Immediately opposite the
Pythoness's cage is lively member of the Vi
per family, which was hatched in the Gardens,
in 1860, from an egg and we understand that
boa was born in Paris from an egg hatched
by the female Thus the Geological Society
may reasonably look forward to an increase of
its interesting collection of reptiles; and tho
the Fellows are not probably particularly de-
sirous to have an accession Of one hundred
Pythons to their stock, yet few lively baby
Pythons would undoubtedly be an important
addition to the attraction of their unrivalled
gardens during the coming season, when our
metropolis will be crowded by sightseeing
visitors. We trust, however, that apart from
this financial consideration, the society will
take care that the Pythoness shall be carefully
and closely observed while she is incubating y


Wilkes Spirit.