Deer destroy Serpents. 315 
Florence; and the Portuguese Court, ashamed of seeing other 
nations employed in collecting and recording the productions of 
their own woods and mountains, have recently established a 
National Museum, and taken measures for active researches. 
Added to all these, the King of Bavaria some time ago sent out 
Messrs. Spix and Martins, the one a zoologist, the other a bo- 
tanist, both known by their works to the scientific world, and 
who are now travelling the provinces between Rio de Janeiro and 
Bahia. By such enlightened policy, and various talent, this 
luxuriant country will soon be better known. But the ignorance 
which until very lately has existed respecting it, added to the 
vast extent of territory it covers, will for years render it a wide 
and almost boundless field for the researches of the philosopher 
and the naturalist. The collections made by Mr. Swainson, in bo- 
tany, ornithology, and entomology, are, we understand, very ex- 
tensive, particularly in the latter department, and a relation of 
his travels may probably be laid before the public. 
DEER DESTROY SERPENTS. 
The following extract from Col. Maurice Keating’s Travels 
presents a curious fact in natural history :—‘‘ Mr. Dowling, who 
passed many years of his life in and about St. Ildefonso, in the 
course of adverting to the progress of his manufactory, had fre- 
quently been eye-witness to a very surprising occurrence here— 
deer swallowing live serpents. He describes the fact as follows: 
The deer, after discovering, examines the serpent for some time 5 
he then places both his fore feet successively on it, standing 
somewhat straddling, so as to keep the reptile distended to its 
utmost length, He has probably in the first instance secured 
the head. The deer then puts his mouth down to the middle of 
the snake, thereby taking it in; and then raising his head and 
neck to a horizontal level with his body, and protruding his chin, 
so as to make his head on aline with his neck, he appears to suck 
the snake down double, moving his jaws for the purpose, but 
not chewing; the head and tail of the reptile, writhing, being 
the last parts of it seen. Of this strange appetite and extraor- 
dinary process Mr. Dowling had seen numerous instances. It 
brings to_mind the ¢ cervi pasti serpente medulla’ (a necro- 
mantic ingredient) of the poet.” 
The foregoing fact brings to our recollection another of the 
same kind. Swine are also devourers of serpents. In some 
parts of America they take advantage of this fact. When_a piece 
of ground infested with these reptiles is to be cleared, having 
first inclosed the piece sufficiently to. prevent the swine from 
wandering beyond their allotted boundary, they drive a number 
of them into the ground; and when these have had sufficient 
time 
