564 SNAKES. 



courage to cany out, and which demands, as I now discover, 

 an equal amount of moral courage to commit to writing. 

 A good deal is painful, if not revolting ; therefore I would 

 commend the perusal of this chapter only to those who, as 

 naturalists, wish to be informed on these subjects. 



* Lip fungus,' gum boils, canker, and abscesses are among 

 the mouth diseases to which snakes in confinement are 

 subject, and for these, very delicate surgical operations have 

 sometimes to be performed, — ' very delicate ' often, by 

 reason of the dangerous character of the patient, and in 

 consideration for the operator as much as for the sufferer. 

 The keepers have sometimes to lance the gums, sometimes 

 to wash the sores ! One very venomous patient was so 

 covered with sores that the keeper's only resource was to 

 throw the lotion all over the reptile. 



'Why not let the odious serpent die, or kill it at once? ' 

 some will exclaim. Well, in the first place, many snakes cost 

 large sums of money to purchase ; secondly, humanity as 

 well as economy demands that their sufferings should be 

 allayed wherever possible. And in return, they frequently 

 reward such care by recovering and entertaining the visitors, 

 climbing with renewed vigour about their cages. 



On the other hand, so tenacious of life are some snakes, 

 that they might survive as disgusting objects a long while — 

 not in a state to be exhibited at all, but only to be an 

 additional care and trouble to those whose duty it is to 

 attend to them. One very astonishing instance of tenacity 

 of life must be introduced. It was in a rattlesnake which 

 would not feed, and must have greatly suffered in some 

 way, whether physically or from nervous terror cannot be 



