THE FOOD OF YOUNG ANIMALS 197 



round the neck of the python, as otherwise it might have disgorged 

 the food that it had been compelled to take. 



Cramming is not much in favour with those who are experts in 

 keeping reptiles, and it is alleged that very frequently stuffed 

 animals fail to digest their meal and die as the result of it. It 

 certainly is the case that the imperfectly digested remains of such 

 a meal are frequently found in post-mortem examinations, but the 

 argument is not quite complete, because snakes that refuse their 

 food and have to be forcibly fed are usually in an unhealthy con- 

 dition. 



This raises the very interesting and difficult question as to the 

 giving of a living prey to reptiles in captivity. The Buddhist 

 standpoint may be taken, and those who are of the opinion that 

 it is wrong under any circumstances to procure or connive at the 

 extinction of life may go the extreme length of refusing to give 

 mealworms or cockroaches to lizards, or worms and little fishes 

 and frogs to alligators and snakes. For most persons, however, 

 the doubtful point comes when it is a question, not of giving small 

 and unintelligent creatures to animals that will bolt them whole 

 and certainly kill them as instantaneously as can be done, but 

 of giving birds and mammals to large snakes. The problem, there- 

 fore, fortunately does not arise with very young snakes, but as 

 it is interesting and as I have given special attention to it, I may 

 digress to discuss it. 



The large poisonous snakes when they are restless and show 

 that they are hungry generally dart at their prey as soon as it 

 is put in the cage, strike at it, inject the poison from their poison 

 fangs with the rapidity of lightning and then withdraw and wait 

 for some time before they proceed to swallow it. The victim dies 

 very quickly, as quickly as it can be killed by almost any method, 

 and, so far as it is possible to judge from its behaviour, painlessly. 

 So also when a constricting snake, like a python or anaconda, 

 is really hungry, and the expert keeper can almost unfailingly 

 recognise that condition, it strikes almost at once at the prey, 

 seizing it with its mouth, and with an indescribably rapid move- 

 ment throws one or two heavy loops of its body over it and 

 crushes it. If the animal struggles, further coils are thrown over, 

 and in a very short time the creature is smothered. Even if it 

 showed signs of being hungry, the snake generally waits some 

 time before beginning the long process of swallowing the prey, 

 which is always dead and sometimes quite cold first. When the 



