REPTILE HOUSE. 
The old reptile house became unfit for the safe keeping 
of the lizards, venomous snakes and other reptiles that 
were deposited therein. It is very fortunate that no 
serious accidents occurred by reason of some of them 
having made their escape. The practice of feeding some 
of the snakes upon tame white mice was looked upon by 
many of the lady and children visitors as cruel. When I 
was spoken to, and written to, on the subject I took 
advantage of a suggestion that the common brown mouse, 
of which we had more than enough, would answer for 
feeding purposes quite as well as white ones. I therefore 
had mouse-traps set in all directions, and supplied the 
wild instead of the tame white ones. 
I soon discovered my mistake. These wild brown mice, 
if not killed directly, were soon engaged in gnawing their 
way out of the case, and the same opening which they 
made also allowed some of the snakes to follow. The 
tame white mice seldom or never attempt to gnaw their 
way out. Years after the old reptile house had been 
disused, harmless snakes that had escaped in this way 
were found in the mill-room underneath the old house. 
They had doubtless lived upon the rats and mice that 
swarmed in this place. 
The keeper of the reptile house came to me one day 
and told me that he had missed one of the cobras. I 
examined the empty cobra case, and found a mouse-hole 
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