SNAKES. 261 



head, expecting to be petted and made much of like a kitten. 

 The children over and over again took its head in their hands 

 and kissed its mouth, pushing aside its forked tongue in doing 

 so. The animal seemed much pleased, but kept turning its 

 head continually towards me with a curious gaze, until I allowed 

 it to nestle its head for a moment up my sleeve. Nothing could 

 be prettier than to see this splendid serpent coiled all round 

 Mrs. M. while she moved about the room, and when she stood 

 to pour out our coffee. He seemed to adjust his weight so 

 nicely, and every coil with its beautiful marking was relieved 

 by the black velvet dress of the lady. It was long before I 

 could make up my mind to end the visit, and I returned soon 

 after with a friend (a distinguished M.P.^), to see my snake- 

 taming acquaintance again. ... 



These (the snakes) seemed very obedient, and remained in 

 their cupboard when told to do so. 



About a year ago Mr. and Mrs. M. were away for six weeks, 

 and left the boa in charge of a keeper at the Zoo. The poor 

 reptile moped, slept, and refused to be comforted, but when hia 

 master and mistress appeared he sprang upon them with delight, 

 coiling himself round them, and showing every symptom of in- 

 tense delight. 2 



The end of this python was remarkable and pathetic. 

 Mr. Severn tells me that some years after he had published 

 the above letter Mr. Mann was seized with an apo^/.^ctic 

 lit. His wife, being the only other person in the house at 

 the time, ran out to fetch a doctor. She was absent about 

 ten minutes, and on returning found that the serpent 

 during her absence had crawled upstairs from the room 

 below into that where her husband was lying, and was 

 stretched beside him dead. Such being the fact, we are 

 left to speculate whether the double seizure of the man 

 and the snake was a mere coincidence, or whether the 

 sight of its stricken mastei, ^jting on the emotions of a 

 possibly not healthy animal, precipitated its death. Look- 

 ing to the extreme suddenness of the latter, as well as to 

 the fact of the animal having pined so greatly for his 

 friends while it was confined at the Zoological Grardens, 

 I think the probability rather points to the death of the 



* This gentleman was Lord Arthur Eussell. 

 2 The Times, July 25, 1872. 



