218 WILD ANIMAL CELEBRITIES 



mars, the Curator of the Reptile House, named 

 her Fatima. 



Fatima arrived just before the new Reptile 

 House was finished, so, for the time being, 

 she was put in one of the animal sheds in a 

 tank of tepid water under which an oil stove 

 was kept burning. About a couple of weeks 

 afterwards Keeper Charles Snyder found her 

 very irritable and nervous; she lay coil upon 

 coil in one corner where, raising her head, she 

 hissed at all who approached. After watch- 

 ing her carefully it was discovered that in 

 the middle of her many coils there was a cone- 

 shaped mass of eggs; this cone the python 

 kept covered carefully and patiently for six 

 long weeks, but no little snakes appeared, and 

 it was not long before it became evident that 

 the eggs had been chilled in some way, prob- 

 ably through a chill to Fatima herself dur- 

 ing her journey. 



As Fatima furiously resented the slightest 

 sign of interference it was impossible for some 

 time to get the eggs away, and, when eight 

 weeks had passed, the big snake showed signs 



