226 WILD ANIMAL CELEBRITIES 



On making inquiries on his return for Selima, 

 he was told that she had starved herself to 

 death. Food had been placed in her cage, but 

 she refused to touch it, and, in spite of being 

 subjected to the stuffing process which I have 

 just described, she finally developed canker 

 and died. I make no comments on this, but 

 these are facts, and I am inclined to think 

 that this python, being accustomed to being 

 handled daily, fondled, and fed by hand, had 

 in some way missed her new master ; but this 

 I leave for others to decide for themselves. 



Mr. Frank Bostock, in his book on "The 

 Training of Wild Animals," tells a capital 

 snake story about Great Peter, one of the larg- 

 est pythons ever kept in captivity. He says :* 



"A curious incident . . . occurred at 

 the Pan American Exhibition with Great 

 Peter. Great Peter had been fasting for some 

 time — most of the summer in fact — and we 

 were beginning to feel anxious about him, 

 when, toward the end of September, he sud- 



* " The Training of Wild Animals," Frank C. Bostock. The 

 Century Co., N. Y. 



