SNAKES. 293 
end of a filled tube, having been dipped in milk, is inserted into 
the opened mouth by an assistant. The tube is then, by the 
holder of the Snake, gently passed into its gullet, and as soon as 
it is there, the assistant, by means of a ramrod, discharges the 
contents of the tube into the interior of the Reptile. The animal 
is now fed, and should be returned to its Vivarium, where it will 
lie and quietly digest its food. After a very little practice the 
whole operation may be performed quickly and with hardly any 
trouble. The very small Snakes should have their mouths opened 
with a smooth piece of wire, such as the end of a hairpin. The 
tubes ought to possess no sharp edges, and be kept very clean. 
When a Snake is so large and strong as to be likely to break a 
glass tube, an india-rubber tube must be substituted. 
Snakes, when fed artificially, should be so fed regularly once 
a week. These Reptiles, when fed by hand for the first time 
or two, sometimes disgorge. 
