208 A COLLECTOR'S EXPERIENCES 



explained that she had deliberately starved herself to 

 death. Not fullv appreciating the peculiar habits of 

 the snake, they had regularly placed the food in her 

 compartment, and gone " down the line " to look 

 after their other charges. Finding she did not eat, 

 the snake was subjected to the vigorous process of 

 having food run down her throat by force ; but under 

 this treatment she did not thrive, and finally devel- 

 oped the dreaded " canker." 



In describing this incident, the writer does not 

 wish to argue that the snake deliberately starved itself 

 from grief, but simply desires to explain what actually 

 occurred. Aside from the daily inspection of the 

 cage, and the introduction of the customary food at 

 five-day intervals, Selima had received no special 

 attention during the writer's absence. This followed 

 the time when his friends were so frequently intro- 

 duced to the reptile, which was taken from its cage 

 on each occasion ; at such times, as has been ex- 

 plained, the snake seemed to appreciate being han- 

 dled. Although he realizes that the assertion is a l)old 

 one, the writer contends that this snake, which had 

 been accustomed to being noticed and handled, missed 

 the many attentions previously received, and also 

 missed the practise of feeding it by hand, and, under 

 the changed conditions, worried and lost appetite ; 

 and its long fasting led to its death. 



Following the story of Selima, it might be inter- 

 esting to bring up that familiar query : " Do snakes 

 swallow their young to protect them, in time of dan- 

 ger?" Those who believe in this performance, 



