WILD ANIMALS IN CAPTIVITY 



I gave him some good advice, and told him the danger 

 to which he had exposed himself and his fellow passengers 

 by train and omnibus. I explained to him the best 

 method of catching and bringing to me the next one he 

 found, but I never saw any more of him, so I am inclined 

 to suppose he failed to capture the second cobra. 



I may add that the one I bought was a fine, strong, and 

 poisonous beast, and lived several years in captivity. No 

 doubt this animal had fed, while on board ship, upon the 

 rats and mice it could easily find there. 



My friend Mr. Frank Buckland saw the snake and heard 

 my story, and begged me to let him have the old ragged 

 bag as a curiosity for his museum. 



SERPENT BITE. 



Previous to the death of the man Girling, who was killed 

 many years since by the bite of a cobra in the Gardens, I 

 had been in the habit of removing the broken fangs and 

 attending to the diseased state of the mouths of poisonous 

 serpents. In the Gardens serpents are frequently troubled 

 by abscesses and tumours in the jaws, which are generally 

 caused through injury. With the assistance of Girling I 

 had no fear in handling them. It is, of course, dangerous 

 work, and requires some skill and great care ; but after the 

 inquest on Girling, Mr. Thomas Wakley, who was coroner 

 at the time, made me promise not again to risk my life 

 by depending upon any assistant, in case he might 

 behave like the man Girling, who in a drunken fit killed 

 himself, or rather allowed the serpent to bite him. The 

 occurrence is related on a previous page. I have 

 endeavoured to keep my promise, and avoid handling 

 these deadly creatures. 



Since that time I have frequently had occasion to 



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