13^ 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Feb. i8, 1905. 
Peril from Snakes. 
Courage of Reptiie Keepers.^ I 
To the keepers in the reptile house in the New York 
Zoological- Park fall most extraordinary and dangeMus 
duties. The handling of some of the smallest snakes, 
for instance, involves more peril than attendance on a 
large collection of lions, tigers and other fierce car- , 
nivora. Some of the most insignificant-looking reptiles, 
that the visitor passes with scarcely a moment's glance ; 
as they lie quietly coiled in the corners of their cages, . 
are capable of dealing swift death by one bite. " 
It is not with the great boas and pythons or the tit6lsy 
rattlesnakes that the principal danger lies, although 
the former seem capable of crushing their keepers into ' 
a shapeless mass, and the latter have notoriously terrible 
"stings." But the big constrictor snakes are lazy and 
generally good-natured, and they rarely use their crush- 
ing powers on anything but their prey. The rattle- 
snakes are dangerous enough, but they are honest, for 
they express their temper when it is evil by the loud 
buzzing of their tails, and so warn the keepers. 
The danger lies with the quiet snakes, such as the 
copperhead, the moccasin and the lance-headed viper 
of the West Indies. Without a sound or an instant's 
warning these deadly creatures strike with the sp^ed 
of a traveling bullet, and usually with unerring aim. 
The most treacherous and formidably-fanged of;;^hem 
is the lancehead, a native of the West Indies and 
northern South America, called fer-de-lance on the 
islands of Martinique and St. Lucia, where it kills; many 
people every year. 4 
"Cleaning time" in the reptile house witnesses sfcenes 
of real heroism among the keepers. The reptiles are 
exhibited in great glass-fronted cages. Of these there 
are nineteen which mast be entered by a smalt iron 
door in the rear, as the big glass fronts are immova:!)^, 
and in these cages are the rattlesnakes, copperheads and 
moccasins, the deadly fer-de-lance, Gila monsters,; and 
besides these venomous species, the giant constrictors 
of enormous girth and power. In the cages with all 
these creatures the keepers, Snyder and Dahl, enter 
with a nonchalance surprising to spectators. 
"Are you not afraid to go in there?" was the question 
put to Snyder as he prepared to enter a cage con- 
taining three big rattlesnakes, which were sounding 
a sinister warning from within. 
"Oh, no!" was the reply. "I cover the snakes with a 
couple of blankets, and they don't disturb me." 
Sliding back the door the young fellow was greeted 
with the sound of the whirr from the serpents' rattles. 
"That big fellow is an ugly brute," said Snyder, 
pointing to a green and yellow coil, from which a flat 
head lunged suddenly. "He bites every thing in sight 
when he gets mad and sometimes bites the other snakes, 
but they ,are immune to each other's poison. After 
crowded days in the park, when large numbers of people 
pass this fellow's cage, the glass is smeared with his 
poison in a dozen places where he has struck at :some 
gaily-colored dress or bonnet. We have to be caretui 
in washing it off, for it mingles with the water, ; and 
should even a small portion of it enter a cut the result 
is apt to be serious." . ' 
Throwing a blanket over this dangerous brute ; and 
its companions, Snyder entered the cage. From u^der 
the blanket the rattling of the snakes continued. Sud- 
denly a smaller reptile coiled in the branches of a tree, 
but a few inches from the keeper's head, sounded its , 
rattle. 
"He's all right," said the snake keeper, as he, vigor- 
ously scrubbed the glass. "I never knew him to strike 
yet. We raised that fellow, and he only rattles to 
show off." ' ^ 
And down the line of cages, entering each one, some 
of them- containing the most deadly of reptiles, went 
the keepers of the reptile house. Their only protec- 
tion was a couple of blankets, from under which the 
animals could have glided at will. But the most dangfer- . 
ous part of this work, so it seems to the visitor, are 
the men's duties in the big python's cage, which con- 
tains five specimens, including Czarina, which is proba- 
bly the largest snake in captivity. This reptile _ meas- 
ures twenty-five feet and four inches. Her weight is • 
nearly two hundred and twenty-five pounds. 
The first part of the operation of attending these 
monsters is the emptying of their bath tub. This is 
a zinc tank about five feet long by four wide, and six : 
inches -deep. One or more of the snakes is always 
lying in this receptacle. Sometimes the masses of 
reptilian flesh are packed in so tightly that little water 
remains. On entering the cage the keeper proyides . 
himself with a blanket. This he pushes ahead of him ; 
on a long pole. It is thrown over the top of the ?tank, 
and he advances toward the snakes. In the meantime, 
he must keep a sharp lookout for the other snakes. 
The iridescent Sultana generally roosts in the top- 
most branches of the big cedar tree in the cage, from 
which she takes delight in making long drives at her 
keepers. 
Another keeper, goes into the cage with the first 
to look after the snakes in the trees and various cor- 
ners. They are covered with blankets and must be 
constantly watched, for their inquisitive natures lead 
them to ; peep from under their coverings at frequent 
intervals. When the first keeper reaches the bath tub, 
which is generally done after dodging several playful 
sallies from the smaller boas, which are left uncovered, 
he lifts up one corner of the blanket and looks care- 
fully beneath it to discover the _ whereabouts gf sthe 
snakes' heads. This act is sometimes accompanied t)y 
a lunge from one of the snakes, sending the blanket 
sailing upward. A little diplomatic maneuvering is 
then necessary. 
Discovering at last, to his satisfaction, the position 
of the snake, the keeper thrusts his hand between scaly 
coils to the bottom of the tank, and pulls out the 
plug, thus letting out the water.- At the sarne time, a 
stream of tepid water flows in from one side. This 
continues for about ten minutes, when the plug is 
again dropped into its place, and the tank refills. The 
last thing to be done before leaving the pythons' cage 
is to spray it with a hose which emits a fine mist of 
te]5)id wkter. This produces the heavy atmosphere 
necessary for the big reptiles. The blankets have al- 
ready been' handed out, and the men continue their 
work, entering other cages. 
Passing down the row of cages containing the various 
reptiles the keepers arrive at the last. This contains 
the cobras, the most dangerous snakes in the building. 
No man is allowed to enter this cage. In the keeper's 
room a special notice commands the greatest caution in ' 
looking after these deadly creatures. The smallest meas- 
ures over five feet. As the visitor behind the scenes 
approaches the iron door opening into the cobras' 
cage, he is greeted with a warning painted upon its 
panels. This is surmounted by a skull and cross bones. 
It reads: "Be careful in opening this cage. The bite 
of these snakes means death. Be carefuh" 
When their keeper opens the door of their cage, a 
watcher stands in front of the glass and shouts to the 
rear man, warning him of eyery move of the snakes, ■ 
so that he may act accordingly.' The glass is cleaned 
on the inside of the cage by spraying it with a hose, and 
the snake's food is introduced on the fend of a more 
than usually long pole. On most occasions, when their 
door is opened, the cobras rise into the peculiar and 
graceful attitude of their kind. - The green "hood" 
spreads widely, and they watch intently for a chance to 
deliver a deadly blow. The least move of one of the 
snakes toward the door results in the latter being 
closed with a bang, when the men w^it for the reptiles 
to become qUiet before resuming their dangerous duties. 
In speaking of these reptiles Curator Raymond L. Dit- 
mars said : "There are few snakes more vicious and 
nervous than the cobra-di-capello. The big king cobra, 
which has been in the reptile house for over two years, 
is a saint compared with these creatures. At the slightest 
annoyance they raise their bodies some two feet from the 
ground and prepare for fight. As the snake assumes the 
characteristic attitude and spreads the hood, it hisses with 
a whistling sound quite distressing to the nervous visitor. 
"The sudden appearance of the spectacled markings, 
which are never visible until the neck is expanded, is 
also startling to the uninitiated. As long as there is the 
slightest occasion for suspicion, a cobra will remain in 
the upright position, motionless as a statue, but with a 
stony glare in the direction of its wrath that disconcerts 
even the most experienced keeper. 
"It is the irritable nature of these snakes which causes 
;them to perform the famous cobra dance under the direc- 
tion of the Hindoos. There is no secret or 'charming' 
in any way connected with the exhibition. The fakir, 
, provided with a reed instrument, plays 'snakey' music for 
his captive cobras, which are liberated from baskets and 
rise angrily before him. Swaying his body steadily to the 
music of his reed, the fakir's every movement is followed 
by the nervous snakes as they endeavor to strike him in 
a frenzy of hysterical indignation. Needless to say, the 
fakir places sufficient distance between him and the 
cobras to' be on safety's side. ' 
"Several' times since the arrival' of the cobras at the ■ 
reptile house 'the 'snake dance' has been illustrated with 
entire success, and without the tuneful flute of the 
'charmer.' 
"The food of these snakes consists of srnall rats and 
mice which are given them from the end of a slender 
pole. The rats are killed to the number of a dozen, and 
each snake is fed individually, great care being taken that 
they refrain from fighting. Four rats constitute a sub- 
stantial meal. The reptiles are fed once every week. 
"Differing from the -poison of the rattlesnakes and 
other venomous serpents, the venom of the cobra at- 
tacks the nerves and not' the blood. The rattlesnake 
and its allies are provided with poison-bearing fangs 
which closely resemble the needle of a hypodermic 
syringe. The cobras, on the contrary, possess the most 
delicate of fangs. They are hardly the size of a small 
thorn. With them there is no need of injecting the 
poison directly into the blood. A scratch suffices, and 
the poison rapidly paralyzes the nerves. Death has 
occurred within twenty minutes in the human from a 
cobra bite. There is little pairi. A stupor steals over 
the unfortunate victim, unconsciousness comes quickly, 
wfth a fluttering and failing pulse, then death. In British 
India the average annual number of deaths from the 
bite of this snake reaches the appalling number of 20,000. 
The British surgeons have been provided with an anti- 
toxin for the treatment of snake bites in India, and the 
application of the serum is said to have been attended 
with very; :'favorabIe results. ... ■ 
"In 4iie Zoological Park,, ■constantly on hand, and kept- 
on iceisAg. prevent change, are a number of tiibes of an 
anti-toxin manufactured in France. The knowledge that 
these tubes are there is the only: encpurageraent for the 
reptile /keepers who handle i the poisonous snakes. A set 
/■of; printed instructions hangs in ,the;reptile house. On 
- . these it is explained;:what to do 'tn case of snake bite. 
r : :"An interesting thibg- about: the cobras in the Zoological 
Park is .their :remari<able similarity to a harmless snake. 
They are graceful atid slender, with small ^heads and sno ; 
signs of viciousness when coiled 'qtiietly in their cage. 
They belong to a peculiar family of the venomous snakej 
ythat differs from the harmless serpents in only one slight 
"but constant feature. This is the absence of a tiny scale 
on the side of the head. Its presence can. only be noticed 
by the scientist, and in a country where serpents of the 
cobra kind are numerous, it is safe to treat all snakes 
with the same respect." 
Tame Florida Egrets. 
Come with me, if you will, gracious reader, in fanci- 
ful imagination, and enjoy a scene taken from a Florida 
yard. It is a bright and glorious morning; tall live oaks 
grace the well kept laAvn. From orange trees, yellow 
with the winter fruit, chirp the mockingbirds; redbirds 
of the most brilliant scarlet hue feed complacently along 
with the dove, breakfasting on the seed of the now dying 
grass; jay birds in numbers herald their presence as they 
beg for bread crumbs — their every morning breakfast. 
Central in this scene are two large white birds — the great 
white heron. Those who know only the wild herons of 
Florida, will be surprised to learn how charming, how 
full of confidence, these same birds can be under habits 
of domestication. 
For a number of years it has been an ambition of mine 
to possess a pair of these beautiful birds, and many offers 
have been made to trappers as well as the Seminole In- 
dians to procure a pair of the young. Nesting, as they 
do, in such tall trees, it is a difficult feat to take them; 
but an inducement sufficient for the extra effort to Chief 
Billy Bowlegs, a Seminole Indian, two years ago had the 
desired effect, and a few months later came' a letter from 
the Everglades of Florida which read : 
"My Good Friend: Me send you two white birds. 
Your friend, .. . Mr. Billee Bowlegs." 
Billy writes a very neat hand, and always uses the 
prefix "Mr." in his signature. 
The_ birds — snowy white and beautiful as d poem — 
came in a cage made of green palm stalks, and a marvel 
of neatness and ingenuity. They were soon at home, eat- 
ing beef from our hands, and contented and happy, but 
very much creatures of habit. When night came, they 
insisted upon going to roost inside the cage; and when 
this was prohibited^ insisted upon roosting on top of it. 
_ These pets are snow white, with yellow beak, dark, 
piercing eyes, and black legs and feet. Standing four 
feet in height, with every feather ruffled at the approach 
of an object of dislike, they are formidable looking birds. 
The female is more slender and smaller than the male, 
and much more timid in all her approaches, but the affec- 
tion existing between them would be a lesson to many a 
cottage home or brown-stone front. 
Gradually the birds became tamer and tamer, till they 
now dine at the same time with their owners — in this 
way, if you please: They have learned that on the ap- 
pearance of the master of the house, it is meal time, and 
immediately they station themselves, like two sentinels, 
at the dining room piazza.; Here they stand with their 
long necks craning into the doorway, alert and tense, 
waiting for a piece of beef to be thrown to them; the 
fernale standing just a little back of her spouse in timid 
attitude. 
The birds on their arrival in civilization were at once 
christened "Mr, and Mrs. Billee Bowlegs," and they soon 
learned to respond to their names with the sense of a 
dog, coming when called, or if reproved, -vyhich has jaeen 
necessary lately, when the advent of a kitten disturbed 
their equilibrium. They were at once jealous of the lit- 
tle stranger, and their antipathy vented itself in a spiteful 
strike from the sharp beak. 
Mr. and Mrs. Bowlegs object seriously to the large 
sandhill crane coming into their part of the yard, and 
run him away at his first intrusion; but when nightfall 
comes that instinct that belongs- to bird life (and which 
is so well illustrated in the rookeries of Florida) brings 
the birds together, separated only by the wire netting, 
the herons roosting on one side of the fence, and the 
crane sleeping with head under his wing and resting on 
one foot, on the other. 
Dear old Dick — familiar to Forest and Stream 
readers— is still the bugler and picket guard for the yard. 
A call of fright from him and the white birds raise their 
heads and move stealthily about, wondering where and 
what the trouble is. 
The aigrettes are showing beautifully on the herons 
now, and have been growing for six months, so will be 
beautiful by the time they are two years old, the age at 
which hunters claim they make their nests; and the time, 
too, while they are rearing their birdlings, the fiendish 
plurne hunter takes the lives of these beautiful birds, 
leaving the nesthngs to starve; and, shameful as it is, to. 
gratify the -whim of the women who still insist upon 
wearing the aigrette. ! . 
But Billy and Mrs. Billy in the Florida yard, with their 
long silken plumes, beautiful enough to tantalize the 
fashionable woman into a spirit of covetousness, are safe 
and happy. These birds are delightfully affectionate and 
playful. With the instinct of nature, they gather small 
sticks or -twigs that fall from the oak trees and carry 
them about, chattering and fussing over them. Occa- 
sionally Mr. Billy will pull the twig from his mate, and 
she will wrench it from it with a petulant screech, and 
then they go to clattering again — qua-qua^qua. 
•Recently Mrs. Billy_ has been cooing and ^trying every ■ 
way in a iftost seductive, coquettish manner to convince 
her liege lord that she is. his Own, his only love. He is 
heroic, big and ;strt>ng-minded, and looks upon her coo- 
ings and- iitfletJEoqaiettish ways as the amiable weaknesses 
of a wieakeriiOr^ture. ^^With the bigness of the masculine 
heart he docs rmt 'resent it, rather likes it, and after she 
has rub hmr Mongj sharp beak so gently and seductively 
. through his- w-fiii' 'kept feathers,- and toyed with his beak 
and cuddled up to him like some young love-sick crea- 
ture, he breaks out in a great clatter, and with that qua- 
qua-qua of the heron family they turn beak to beal^ their 
