Nov. 1, 1S66.] 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



24E 



seize them. While leaning over the bar to observe 

 oettcr, two or three loud thumps sounded on the 

 glass front near my head, and some bystanders 

 expressed fear lest the glass should be broken. The 

 attack was so sudden that it was only when the 

 keeper requested me to keep farther back that I 

 was conscious that the big snake preferred me to 

 the ducks. The blows "sounded like those of a 

 man's fist, and would 'probably throw a person 

 down if they took effect. By the quick repetition 

 of the strokes it seemed the reptile was slow to 

 learn that the plate glass was too strong for its 

 efforts. I regretted afterwards not having esti- 

 mated the size of this Python at the time, but from 

 memory should imagine it to be nine or ten feet 

 long. Next to these large snakes, the venomous 

 kinds seemed to attract most attention. Some 

 rabbits, so young as to be almost helpless, were 

 dropped into the cases of the Rattle-snakes and 

 Puff-adder. They were soon struck, but the venom 

 was much slower in its action than I should have 

 expected. The bite of both these species is said to 

 be fatal to man, yet these small animals survived 

 about twenty minutes. The bites were effectively 

 given, as in one instance blood oozed from the 

 punctures, and. in another it flowed from the nose 

 and mouth. I paid particular attention to the act 

 of striking, having understood that our English 

 Viper does not, strictly speaking, bite— that is, 

 does not close the jaws, but with the mouth wide 

 open drives in the fangs by a downward stroke of 

 the upper jaw, like the blow of a hammer. The 

 Puff-adder, however, appeared to seize its prey 

 with a momentary grip, leaving go immediately. 



A half-grown rabbit was given to another venom- 

 ous species— I think a " horned viper ; " but, though 

 the poor little animal was repeatedly pushed up 

 against the reptile, the latter would not strike. 

 Every effort was made to irritate it, and it fre- 

 quently turned round vengefully, hissing like a 

 small steam-engine all the time, but it would not 

 use its weapons. The " Glass-snakes " appeared 

 more ready to feed than most of the others ; mice 

 were provided for their refection, and one of them 

 disposed of two or three in rapid succession. Shortly 

 after, happening to pass the Python's den, a bang 

 on the glass apprised me that my Ophidian friend 

 was still bent on making closer acquaintance. 



A stout gentleman, who frequently expressed his 

 antipathy to the whole Serpent tribe, took occasion 

 by this fresh attack to utter some words of warning, 

 reminding me of the keeper's request to keep back 

 from the case, and remarked that the glasses I had 

 on at the time were probably the attraction. I 

 replied that the reptile was apparently in a state to 

 strike at anything that came within reach, and two 

 minutes had scarcely elapsed when my friend, with 

 his little boy, crossed in front of the den, when the 

 Python made a similar blow at him. His alarm 



was ludicrous: with an exclamation of intense horror 

 he staggered back half a dozen paces ; but I fear his 

 activity would have availed little but for the stout 

 plate-glass between. The evident desire of this 

 monster to get a human victim, while it ignored the 

 ducks within its reach, seemed to indicate a longing 

 for larger prey. It was difficult to imagine that the 

 snake could really swallow a man, but the peculiar 

 structure of the jaws in the Boa tribe and their 

 immense power of expansion enable them to get 

 down animals of a bulk much exceeding their own. 

 When these creatures were gliding about their 

 dens, great play of muscle was observable through 

 the skin. 



During these performances a large box was 

 brought in by two labourers, It had apertures for 

 ventilation, and contained some large Rock Snakes. 

 The keeper raised the lid, and touched one of the 

 reptiles which were in a half-torpid condition. This 

 excited the curiosity of one of the workmen, who 

 inquired anxiously, "They be' ant alive, sir, be 

 they?" "Alive! yes," said the keeper; "do you 

 want to have one out?" "Oh no, sir," was the 

 quick reply ; and he and his companion were gone 

 in an instant. The Cobra appears to be one of the 

 most irritable species ; the glass front of its case is 

 partially white-washed, to hide approaching objects 

 from it; but, notwithstanding, it strikes against the 

 glass so frequently that its muzzle was quite raw. 



I took the opportunity of asking the keeper if he 

 had ever observed the Boas lick their prey before 

 swallowing it, as they are popularly believed to do. 

 He replied as expected, that in several years' expe- 

 rience he had never seen it done. It is not im- 

 probable, I think, that, while the Boa is examining 

 its recently-killed prey to commence the swallowing 

 operation in the most convenient manner, it may- 

 keep flickering its tongue in and out as most 

 serpents are in the habit of doing, and this might 

 give an inaccurate observer the idea that it was 

 licking the prey. I fear this account may appear 

 tediously minute, but I send it on the chance of 

 interesting some who have never been present at 

 the Serpents' dinner-hour. George Gtjyon. 



ON MOUNTING IN ELUID. 



WHILST reading M. Chevalier's excellent little 

 work, " L'Etudiant Micrographe," with the 

 perusal of which I was lately favoured by a friend, 

 I met with an account of a method of mounting 

 objects in fluid, communicated by M. Belleroche, of 

 Antwerp, of which, as it may be new to many of 

 your readers, I beg to hand you a translation, 

 omitting some portions for the sake of brevity. I 

 will only add that I have satisfied myself of the 

 capability of this method to give excellent results, 

 whilst its simplicity and the minimum of apparatus 

 required, must recommend it to all. 



