REPTILE HOUSE. 



The old reptile house became unfit for the safe keeping 

 of the lizards, venomous snakes and other reptiles that 

 were deposited therein. It is very fortunate that no 

 serious accidents occurred by reason of some of them 

 having made their escape. The practice of feeding some 

 of the snakes upon tame white mice was looked upon by 

 many of the lady and children visitors as cruel. When I 

 was spoken to, and written to, on the subject I took 

 adv.antage of a suggestion that the common brown mouse, 

 of which we had more than enough, would answer for 

 feeding purposes quite as well as white ones. I therefore 

 had mouse-traps set in all directions, and supplied the 

 wild instead of the tame white ones. 



I soon discovered my mistake. These wild brown mice, 

 if not killed directly, were soon engaged in gnawing their 

 way out of the case, and the same opening which they 

 made also allowed some of the snakes to follow. The 

 tame white mice seldom or never attempt to gnaw their 

 way out. Years after the old reptile house had been 

 disused, harmless snakes that had escaped in this way 

 were found in the mill-room underneath the old house. 

 They had doubtless lived upon the rats and mice that 

 swarmed in this place. 



The keeper of the reptile house came to me one day 

 and told me that he had missed one of the cobras. I 

 examined the empty cobra case, and found a mouse-hole 



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