206 A COLLECTOR'S EXPERIENCES 



be made more interesting to visitors. For days the 

 'gators deliberately starved and their food went to 

 other animals. Time and time again the keepers pre- 

 sented tempting morsels from the edge of the tank ; 

 five pairs of yellow eyes gleamed hungrily, but ob- 

 stinacy still ruled. At last temptation proved too 

 strong. " Big Mose " swam toward his keepers, and 

 his cavernous mouth yawned for only a second, but 

 long enough. A fowl was quickly cast between the 

 gaping jaws, and the spell was broken. From that 

 time on " Big Mose " stood ready with open mouth 

 at feeding-time. His companions soon followed his 

 example, and some three weeks after the beginning 

 of the experiment the 'gators had all acquired the 

 habit of lining up for meals, with mouths wide open, 

 a practise which continues now. 



The domestication of the 'gators was convincing 

 enough as to the possibilities of training reptiles, 

 but was exceeded in interest by an episode involving 

 a snake. The snake was a python, and the reader 

 can draw his inferences from its behavior. At a cir- 

 cus and menagerie visited by the writer there was 

 found in an annex a large case guarded by a young 

 woman. The case was enameled in white and elab- 

 orately decorated with })rass, and across the front, in 

 shining letters, was the word SNAKES. Heralded 

 by a blare of brass and crash of drums, the Lady of 

 the Serpents drew forth yards upon yards of glitter- 

 ing, riclily tinted pythons. One of these she coiled 

 about her neck and shoulders. The reptile was ex- 

 ceedingly beautiful in coloring and seemed especially 



