Emu and Ostrich Farmino. 65 



the famous Madame Rachel. The fresh and bright colours of the 

 new skin were in vivid contrast to those of the old faded one. 

 Still the cast-off skin is a pretty enough object, as you will see 

 from the one produced. One, whicli was shed in a perfect state, 

 was so fine that the late Frank Bucklaud, who was on a visit to 

 me, asked me to present it to him, which I did with pleasure. He 

 told me afterwards that he had produced it at a wedding break- 

 fast in London to entertain the guests, and that a lady took it 

 away as a copy for lace-work. This Boa lived in my pos'^ession 

 for 360 days without touching food, and how long he had fasted 

 before coming into the hands of ]Mr Cross, of Liverpool, from 

 whom I purchased it, no one can say. 



But to return to the Python. One evening I put a rabbit of 

 about two months old into the box, intending it for the Boa. As 

 neither snake seemed to be hungry, I was going into the house to 

 write some letters. As I was shutting the door of the room, 

 which was detached from the dwelling-house, I heard the squeal- 

 ing of the rabbit, and on going back I found it was the Python 

 which had seized it. It had merely the nose of the rabbit in its 

 mouth, and I left with the mental remark that it was attempting 

 rather too much. I returned in about half-an-hour, and great 

 was my amazement when I found the feat accomplished, and the 

 Python reduced m length from 2| feet to about 18 inches, with a 

 huge bulge in the middle, which was the rabbit's tomb. I 

 could distinctly see the shape of poor bunny under the distended 

 skin of the snake. A few days afterwards I was going to show 

 this wonderful sight to some visitors, but on opening the lid of 

 the cage a disagreeable odour rose from it, and I found the rabbit 

 among the blankets, and that the Python had evidently under- 

 gone the " Banting treatment." The swallowing was a serious 

 undertaking, but the disgorgement must have been as bad, if not 

 worse, considering that a snake's teeth point in the direction of 

 the throat, and lie in the mouth like hooks. I was sorry that my 

 visitors missed the sight, as they might have corroborated my 

 assertion. Witnesses were not wanting among my own family 

 and servants, but some independent testimony would have been 

 more satisfactory If any person had told me that that snake had 

 swallowed that rabbit, I could not have swallowed his story. I 

 would simply not have believed him, and I can only place myself 

 in your hands, gentlemen, to be judged, asking you beforehand 



