REPTILES IN CAPTIVITY 183 
frozen. The captain, who arrived at the moment and saw 
the lifeless condition of the creatures, ordered them to be 
thrown overboard. I requested, however, to be allowed to 
make an attempt to revive them, and, having received the 
captain's permission, wrapt them in a rug and carried them 
off. I took them home to our house in Spielbudenplatz, and 
there shook them out on the floor; but my father was as in- 
credulous as the captain with regard to the possibility of bring- 
ing them to life. Nevertheless I thought I would make the 
experiment, so I laid the two snakes in front of the stove 
which was situated in our aviary and went upstairs to my own 
rooms. After about an hour a violent commotion took place 
among the birds, and on running downstairs I found the 
spot before the stove deserted and the two reptiles taking a 
constitutional round the room. As I was trying to secure 
them a strange coincidence occurred. The door opened and 
in walked old Kreutzberg, who had just arrived from Russia, 
and wished to purchase some snakes for his menagerie. With 
his help the animals were quickly secured, and, ten minutes 
later, they had passed into the possession of Kreutzberg for a 
sum of eighty Prussian thalers (£12). Thus there came an 
unexpected windfall to two persons—to my father, who in 
the afternoon heard that the dead snakes had come to life 
again and were sold for a good price, and to the captain, who 
received next day an unexpected forty thalers as his share in 
the transaction. 
In the course of further experience I have learnt that it is 
no uncommon thing for snakes to come to life again in this 
remarkable manner, but there is a limit beyond which their 
endurance cannot be taxed. I remember a case in point, 
which occurred in March 1883, when I had purchased in 
England 165 giant serpents for a figure exceeding £1,000. 
The snakes were shipped from London to Hamburg, but, 
as ill-luck would have it, a severe north-easterly gale was 
encountered during the crossing, and the vessel had to put 
back to Gravesend for the purpose of recoaling. At last she 
