TREATMENT OF SNAKES IN CAPTIVITY. Ill 



extremities of the upturned legs, so as to complete the frame ; 

 imagine one of the two long sides to be glass, and the other, the 

 top, and the two ends to be covered with canvas or wire-gauze ; 

 and there you have, roughly sketched, the sort of receptacle 

 which I have found to answer excellently in every climate for 

 the snakes proper to it. 



Both floor and frame ought, of course, to be made of good, 

 seasoned wood ; the former should be riddled with plenty of 

 small gimlet-holes and be supported on two or three battens, 

 about an inch in thickness, if it is intended to stand upon a 

 solid surface, to meet the possible requirement of drainage. 

 Wood is to be preferred to metal for this cage, since it is warmer 

 in its contact with the snakes, while no extra heat holds out an 

 inducement to insect pests to take up their abode in it, as in the 

 two former constructions. The frame must be stout enough to 

 carry the glass and nails, but does not call for any great strength 

 beyond this : the lower part should rise about an inch or an 

 inch and a half above the level of the floor all round, to keep in 

 the gravel. The uprights, and indeed every part, ought to be 

 plain and square, without turning or ornamentation of any kind ; 

 if anything of the sort exists on the inside, it must necessarily 

 leave chinks and spaces which will harbour dirt and tempt the 

 snakes to explore. Window-glass will probably be employed for 

 the glazed side (it is quite strong enough) instead of plate ; and, 

 to avoid the dangers attendant upon unduly large panes, an 

 additional upright support must be allowed to every twenty 

 inches, or two feet, of the length of the cage. A corresponding- 

 pillar to match this should be erected on the opposite side, and 

 the two joined across the top by a transverse beam, like the ends, 

 as the canvas or gauze will also require extra supports to main- 

 tain its tension, in proportion to its length. It will be observed 

 that I say nothing as to the dimensions, because they depend 

 upon precisely the same circumstances that were cited before, 

 and the same rules of comparison with the size and number of 

 the creatures for which it is destined to hold good. Having thus 

 completed the floor and front (the glass side), the back and top 

 will not take long to finish, since they merely require to be filled 

 in with stout canvas, such as meat-safes are made of, or with wire 

 gauze which is used for similar purposes. Of the two, I must 

 say that I infinitely prefer the former. It admits more light, is 



