Ian. 7, igoS-T 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
9 
had ^tfi ^^©j^feriy cleansed and packed with antiseptic 
g&M% the eurator and keeper seemed to be struck with 
H sin^h thought. The prospect of dressing daily or 
perhaps twice a day the jaw which holds the Cobra's 
deadly fangs> was not a prospect that eithei- welcotried. 
It was then that they decided to bandage the reptile's 
head and to use a dressing that could be kept moist 
frofti a distance. 
Keeper Sftydel-, artoed with a syringe, sprayed , the 
snake froift safe situation, not a particle appalled by 
bis irfl'aj'estic rearing and 'continuous angry hissing. 
H^OW-ever, the wound had to be dressed every now_ and 
sihm in the same dangerous manner as at first described, 
^rtd this operation the writer, the other day, was 
f'O.rtunate to Ivitttess.* 
The cobras arrived at the park in wooden boxes, 
containi'fs;^ only a few holes for ventilation. _ In there 
they Md fasted for many wee'ks, and so emaciated were 
they \vhen the boxes were opened, -that it was thought 
A'ey would die in spite of the most careful treatment. 
The snakes were placed in one of the big cages of the 
reptile house and treated to a steam bath for an hour 
or more. This had a very good eflfect and ♦hey sooil 
began to take an interest in things about them and 
dx^nk freely from the dish placed in the cage. 
The morning after the snakes' arrival it was decided 
that the cobras must be helped out of their own skin 
This had so hardened on the scaly creatures in their 
cfaittped Iravelihg quarters that natural shedding was 
aut of the question. The proposition of handling the 
reptiles was anything but pleasant. Moreover, the 
sftake has the power to forcibly eject the poison to 
i©^e 'distaiice. In the eye this fluid is as deadly as 
LVp'pn. the abraded skin. A forked stick was procured, 
and "thi'Ou'gh this the snakes were made to crawl. The 
old 'ctittele was too thick, however, to be cast in this 
maftMr, and the men made up their minds to tackle 
i .'dangerous "situa,tioft. 
The reptile curator and keeper, Snyder, did the job. 
On the eftd of a iong bamboo pole a cobra was lifted 
)t<>m. its xi&tgt *fo the floor, where there was room for 
Jetter maneuvering. It was taken down from its grace- 
ul swij^mg pose and forced flat upon the concrete 
IoOt, Its head was spread widely and the spectacled 
ii^:feings on its back looked menacing. 
The most dangerous part of the task came next. 
Pressing the reptile's head down firmly with the stick, 
;he snake man grasped him by the neck. It was delicate 
vork and trying to the nerves. More than once during 
he operation of peeling ofif the dried and shriveled 
skin both- men perspied more than normally. With- 
put these precautions, however, the cobras would soon 
iiave ditd and the public would have lost the rare op- 
portunity of seeing living specimens of this deadly 
snake in captivity. 
Two full hours were consumed in removing the skins 
of the three snakes. When the job was done both 
flten heaved a deep sigh of relief. As the snakes were 
taken from the cage they were dull and rusty in ap- 
iearance. The operation effected a wonderful change. 
keJfeved of their old skins they sparkled and shone 
^n\h. a metallic lustre, showing a body color of rich 
>rOw-fi ci^Ossed by hands of bright yellow. 
^Ofee of the most dangerous operations ever performed 
(fiot the person performing it) was -when Curator 
Ditmars removed an abscess from the left side of the 
king cobra's 'jaw. Nearly twenty minutes were oc- 
:upied in ^tlih operation and every instant of the time 
Mr. Ditmkrs' arm and hand were within striking dis- 
tance the fangs of the most deadly snake known to 
ii3iitt%.iists. 
M%e Bronx king cobra was brought from Singapore. 
Several weeks after his arrival a slight swelling was 
noticed on the right side of the cobra's jaw and it was 
2vident that he was considerably annoyed by it, for he 
seemed particularly careful not to touch the swelling 
igaiust any hard surface. After close observation Mr. 
Ditmars was convinced that the king cobra had a boil 
3r an abscess and considering the value of the reptile, 
ie began planning to remove the abscess. 
' This particular cobra will eat nothing but other 
snakes. When first brought to the park to live in 
:aptivity he was tempted with plump rabbits, fat rats 
ind well-fed guinea pigs. But he is a confirmed snake 
bater. It was found necessary to humor his whim, and 
;o save expense Mr. Ditmars hit upon the plan of 
f eeding htm snakes stuf¥ed with frogs. When his feed- 
* ng time came round a coachwhip snake, v^fhich had 
i.::en starving itself lately, was killed and stuffed with 
half a dozen fat frogs. The stuffed snake was taken 
0 the door of king cobra's cage and thrown in. In 
1 twinkling king cobra had him by the neck. He 
-shed around the cage with the body for five minutes 
in d then slowly began to swallow him. In doing so he 
ay in such a position that the abscess on his jaw was 
■sily visible and within reach from the door. 
On '1?h"e spur of the moment Mr. Ditmars decided to 
crrtOv^ it He procured a long pair of tweezers and 
;i glass syringe, and he and keeper Snyder opened wide 
iihS! door of the cobra's cage. At that the snake edged 
; v;ay in a corner with his prey and lashed his tail up 
lid down the glass partitions. Snyder took hold of the 
lead snake's tail and pulled it toward him. The hungry 
:obra tightened his hold. Snyder used both hands and 
lliulled until the head of the cobra was within four 
eet of the cage door. Mr. Ditmars filled the syringe 
rom the snake's water pan, and, reaching in his arm, 
:uirted water all over the cobra's jaw and around 
ne abscess to moisten it. The cobra did not like this, 
Jl3ut hung on to the dead snake. Finally Mr. Ditmars 
cjook the tweezers and leaned in. With his free hand 
!ie grasped the body of the coachwhip snake within a 
ew inches of the cobra's head and twisted untiT the 
— ming white jaws of the cobra turned over and then 
- ith a deft turn of the tweezers extracted the abscess 
iud jumped away. The operation was performed, and 
::;he relief of the snake was obvious, for he gulped down 
)!s prey in half a minute, shot over into his corner, 
iirled himself up and went to sleep. 
"When the lance-head vipers," said Mr. Ditmars, 
arrived at the park they were in what the .reptile ex- 
ert world ca.M 'bad condition.' None of them had 
ed for at least twelve weeks: they were verj^ thin, very - 
\(-:ik aiKLmmi serious of all, had been unable to shed 
their skins, which had become dry and brittle. As the 
lance-head is a rare snake in captivity, we were par- 
ticularly desirous of bringing the six specimens of this 
-Species back to perfect health, and the peculiar opera- 
tions undertaken for their improvement are worthy of 
narration. 
"When a snake prepare,? to shed its skin, it seeks a 
damp location, in order to soften its old suit, that this 
may be easily cast of?. The lance-heads had been kept 
too_ dry,_ and in consequence had been unable to shed 
their skins. These must be removed at once, or the 
reptiles would die of a skin disease. A bath of tepid 
water was prepared, and into this the snakes were 
precipitated. There they were kept about six hours 
before the keepers began the dangerous process of 
forcibly removing the skins. 
*Tn this operation two things are necessary; one, an 
abundance ot courage; the second, thorough knowledge 
of^ the poisonous snake. To lack one or the other im- 
plies a danger of being bitten, and this means — but 
the men in the reptile house dislike to consider the 
possible consequences of a snake bite. Antidotes are 
constantly oti hand, it is true, but even the cure of a 
snake bite involves long hours of suffering, and perhaps 
the permanent loss of health. 
"Most necessary is it that the keeper who handles 
a deadly snake shall understand how to employ his 
fingers in the manipulation, during which he uses a 
peculiar grip. But he must first catch the snake, which 
is hardly a minor part of the proceeding. The creature 
is coaxed into a favorable position, when a stick is 
pressed directly across the top of its head, pinning it 
tc the ground. The reptile is then grasped in sucn a 
way tliat the thumb presses one side of the animal's 
neck, assisted on the other side by the first and second 
fingers. The other two lingers wind themseb^es loosely 
abtait the snake's throat leaving the wind pipe open for 
breathing; and these latter fingers are ready to grasp 
the creature tightly in case it should struggle, for it has 
the power of turning partially in its loose-fitting skin, 
thus bringing the venomous fangs to bear on the hand 
that holds it. 
"While held in this position the reptile's mouth opens 
and shuts viciously. The fangs, consisting of hollow 
teeth in the upper jaw, where they lie against the roof 
of the mouth when inactive, are raised to their full 
extent, while a drop of the deadly fluid provided by 
nature lies ready in the poison gland. It is at this 
juncture that the keeper finds steady nerves useful, for 
the slightest loosening of the fingers is instantly ap- 
preciated by the snake, which acts without loss of time. 
"The process of skinning the lance-heads was simple 
enough when the described precautions had been taken. 
A pair of fine forceps had been used to grasp the skin 
covering the lower jaw. This was gently peeled back- 
ward. A like operation removed the skin from the 
upper portion of the head. Here a difficulty presented 
itself. This was to turn back the skin over the snake's 
neck, immediately behind the head, where the operator 
had been holding it. 
"The snake was suddenly released. The stick was 
again placed over the top of the head, and the operator, 
grasping the loose skin, turned it backward until it was 
past the neck. When he resumed his grip, the skin 
was turned wrong side out over the creature's body, 
which now presented a beautiful velvety surface. Thus 
it was that the six dusty looking vipers appeared in new 
clothes, with awakening appetites. 
"During the first few weeks of installation in their 
cage the lance-heads, true to their reputation, became 
veritable fiends. On opening the door of their cage, 
the keeper was generally greeted with a low whir,, as 
the angry reptiles rapidly vibrated their tails. This was 
soon followed by the flash of white mouths from the 
shrubber}'. Moreover, the heavy glass in the front of 
the cage, facing the spectators, showed numerous 
greenish-yellow smears where the vipers' fangs had 
been directed at some particularly bright article of 
apparel, as the owner of the same passed within range 
of their hostile vision. 
"Gradually this changed. The creatures became used 
to their keepers and grew quiet. But here the danger 
increased. No animal is more dangerous than a tame 
venomous snake. One moment it may lie apparently 
asleep; the next, it has shot its body with lightning- 
like rapidity at some moving object, thinking it food. 
Keepers would much rather see a snake demonstrate 
its feelings at once; they know then what it is going 
to do. It was at this time that a serious accident came 
near taking place. 
"The keeper was spraying the vegetation in the cage 
with the lance-heads, when a snake, which had been 
quietly coiled about three feet away, sprang for his 
hand. The keeper, involuntarily jumping backward, was 
followed by the snake, which literally threw itself from 
the cage and landed at his feet. The keeper executed 
a broad jump with admirable energy, and saved himself 
from the reptile's fangs. 
"On a moonlight night, some three weeks after their 
arrival, the lance-heads took their first meal in captivity. 
The majority of the venomous snakes are night 
prowlers; few will take their food, consisting of small 
rodents, in the daytime. 
"On this account a reptile house is even more at- 
tractive at night than in the daylight. A trip past the 
cages with a lantern shows the sun-loving lizards and 
many of the smaller snakes sleeping soundly, but the 
venomous sp.ecieS and the big boas glide about in lively 
fashion, their scaly bodies glittering in the light as if 
jewel-covered. 
"Then it is that the fer-de-lance draws its green 
body from the vegetation, where it has been hiding, and 
its quivering tongue-tips inspect the ground and 
branches for the trail of its prey." 
[to -BE CONTINUED.] 
An armored coat for dogs, to serve as a protection 
against motor cars, has been invented by a New Yorker. 
The coat is studded with sharp steel points, like a steel 
hedgehog. If the armored dog is ifun int;o by a. motor 
car the sharp points puncture the tire, and the conse- 
quent rush of released air blows the dog out of danger. 
California Birds. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Your genial and entertaining contributor, Arefar, has 
taken me to task for not seeing birds in California where 
they were not, and for not hearing the songs of birds 
when the land was voiceless save for the meadowlark, 
to whom full credit was given. 
Arefar proclaims with clarion voice_ that there are 
myriads of birds in endless variety in California, and that 
the air resounds with their carolings; that is to say, in the 
big tree forests and mountain cafions, and in the spring- 
time of the year. As the observations related were made, 
as stated, in the almost treeless plains of the Sacramento 
and San Joaquin valleys, and in the months of August, 
September and October, it is difficult to see the relevancy 
of Arefar's complaints. 
It appears to be characteristic of Californians — a par- 
donable weakness, no doubt — to manifest great sensitive- 
ness about the reputation of their country, and to resent 
any suspicion of an imputation that their State is lacking 
in a single feature that goes to make up an ideal paradise. 
Like our ancient and chivalrous friend, Don Quixote de lA 
Mancha, they have a way of standing up every traveler 
they may meet in the road and demanding that he 
acknowledge their Dulcima del Tcboso to be the most in- 
comparable fair whose cheeks were ever kissed by the 
morning sunbeams and fanned by the vagrant breezes, 
etc. For mine own part, like the complacent travelers 
thus challenged by the valiant knight on one occasion, 
rather than argue the matter, I am willing to make the 
acknowledgment out of hand, "though she distils rheum 
out of one eye and vinegar from the other." But, "me- 
thinks the lady doth protest too much," has been more 
than once suggested by the clamorous claims of these 
fortune's favorites who dwell in the land of all perfec- 
tions, savoring somewhat of the whistling boy in the 
graveyard or the tailless fox of fabulous fame. 
I am aware that the foregoing utterance is rank heresy, 
and by all devout Californians I shall be denounced with 
anathema maran atha; but it would seem that a brief so- 
journer in this land of prodigies might be permitted to 
soberly relate what he saw and did not see, and what he 
heard and did not hear, without being metamorphosed 
into a mediaeval windmill to be so furiously charged upon 
by this doughty Don and his fleetly flying Rosinante be- 
cause the geese he saw were not swans, nor the sheep 
armies with banners. 
It may be mentioned, by the by, that the orchards, 
groves and marginal growth along the streams alluded to 
by friend Arefar, were invaded quite generally, with the 
results stated as to paucity of bird life. I did intend to 
give California credit for a couple of shrikes that were 
omitted from the former enumeration of birds seen, but 
feel now inclined to withhold them, as there was some 
doubt about their identification, anyway. 
Jesting and badinage aside, Arefar's communication 
was both amusing and entertaining, and I am obliged for 
the information he gives about the fly-catcher that was 
strange to my eyes. The jay birds seen were only two in 
number, and only a flitting glimpse was seen of them. 
They appeared not to have the bright hues of the eastern 
bird, and no white was displayed to view. As I went 
neither into the big tree forests nor mountain canons, and 
was never in California in the spring time, there is no 
ground to question the claims for those regions and that 
season, nor any inclination to do so. 
And now comes friend Cristadoro, who has been trying 
to inveigle me into that interminable sleeping duck con- 
troversy by combining the Limburger proposition as a 
side issue. I beg to be excused from embarking upon this 
sea of much troubled waters. Sleeping ducks and sleeping 
Limburger are not to be awakened by me. I prefer to 
shoot them both on the log. Coahoma. 
A UsefttI Dog on the Fatm. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Noticing an article in an October number of Forest 
AND Stream on "Snake Hunting Dogs," I can add to the 
list my English pointer, Ben Whitney. Ben was a per- 
fect dog in his line — on Missouri quail. He took up 
snake hunting as a side-line. No snake was ever shrewd 
enough to fasten his fangs in Ben's silky coat. His 
methods of snake hunting were very intelligent and 
original, inasmuch as he always looked to his master to 
dispatch the snake. The first snake Ben encountered 
was on one bright, dry day in the month of June. The 
dog was following me in from plowing, and I noticed 
that a snake had crossed the path near a wooded hollow 
which crossed the field. Ben took the scent and 1 left 
him, going on in to dinner. On coming back to work, I 
heard Ben barking little quick barks about 200 yards 
down the hollow from where the snake had crossed the 
path. I tied my team to a near-by bush and went quickly 
to the dog's assistance. When I first caught sight of him 
he was standing with his nose high in the air at about a 
half point, which indicated that he had the snake at a 
stand. Upon my approaching him he began a series of 
scientific evolutions, which for defensive carefulness was 
unsurpassed by many of the higher creation. He would 
approach, then retreat with all the caution of a trained 
soldier. He would not go near the snake's cover only up 
against the wind. I was aware of only one thing, that 
the snake was a large one, as I could tell by his print 
where he crossed the dusty path. The vegetation was so 
dense I could not locate the snake. I could tell near 
where he was by Ben's maneuvers. I got a long pole 
and swung it around oyer the tops of the weeds and 
grasses, letting it just hit the tops. Finally, after several 
trials, I struck a weed that touched the snake, which 
revealed its identity. It seemed for a moment as if a 
snaredrum had turned loose in that weed patch. I located 
him by the sound and soon despatdied him. He had 
eleven rattles and a button, and was of the timbef 
variety. Ben looked on quietly, never attempting to touch 
the snake, even after it was dead. During the summer 
he located and I killed for him eleven large rattlers. His 
performances were similar in each instance. He would 
take the trail and follow very carefullv until he brought 
them to a stand;' - Then he would noti/y me by his litli® 
quick barks. ' ]. W. Harrington-. 
Hampton, Mo. 
