THE SNAKES 223 



rabbit of the string, the tip pressing against the roof of 

 the skull for purchase. During lively work the monster 

 is taken from the cage by a dozen keepers and held as 

 straight as possible, the forward man holding it close to 

 the head with both hands. By means of the pole the 

 meal is forced down the throat for a distance of fully 

 five feet. Food thus administered generally changes 

 the snake's attitude toward captivity. Once the meal 

 is digested, there generally comes an appetite, usually 

 to be detected by a serpent's actions, and a sympathetic 

 .keeper will at once note such. Yet there are some 

 pji;hons lacking sufficient courage to feed for months, 

 even after repeated strings of rabbits have been ad- 

 ministered and quickly assimilated, showing the 

 digestive apparatus to be in good shape. The Regal 

 Python Czarina in the Zoological Park was fed by 

 compulsory methods for ten months before she took 

 her first voluntary meal. Visitors to the few rep- 

 tile houses of zoological gardens, possessing such 

 buildings, seldom appreciate that the iridescent 

 bloom on the folds of the big snakes denotes a state 

 of perfect health brought about only after months of 

 sympathetic care on the part of the keeper. 



Unfortunately, a deadly mouth disease is a constant 

 menace to the pj'^thons, in fact, big snakes of all species. 

 The writer believes this to be brought about by an 

 enervated condition of the snake, robbing the blood 

 of its germicidal qualities — and this during a period of 

 a disordered stomach. As the mouth of a snake 

 that is not feeding becomes stored with stagnant salivary 

 secretions, and bacteria of many kinds alwaj-s exist in 

 the mouth, this is the region principally^ attacked. A 

 slight sore — a bruise caused by striking at an annoying 

 object — is generally the start of the trouble. The sore 



