SNAKES 229 



I saw Big Peter in Mr. Bostock's show at 

 the Pan American Exhibition, and was as- 

 tonished at its size and evident weight, but 

 needless to say I was not present when this 

 extraordinary accident occurred. 



There was a fine python from Java in the 

 Amsterdam Zoological Gardens a few years 

 ago which attracted a great deal of attention 

 owing to its size and ferocity, but whether it 

 is still alive I do not know. In the Zoologi- 

 cal Gardens at Hamburg there is a very large 

 cobra, which is a splendid specimen. 



There are, of course, plenty of snakes which 

 have become celebrated in a way by having 

 caused the death of several persons, but many 

 of these stories cannot be relied upon. The fol- 

 lowing, however, are known to be true, and it 

 will be seen that one death was caused by 

 foolhardiness, the other by fear. There is 

 the case of Girling, one of the keepers in the 

 London Zoological Gardens, who, some years 

 ago, after having a little too much to drink, 

 actually took out of its cage the big Indian 

 cobra, and held its head up in front of his 



