WILD ANIMALS IN CAPTIVITY 
into its cage ; the blood was then slowly running down his 
face. 
About five minutes after this occurred I met him, when 
he appeared alarmed, and exclaimed, “ I’m a dead man.” 
He walked backwards and forwards for a few seconds, then, 
apparently recovering himself, said, ‘‘ I’ll not give up,” and 
going to the sink bathed his face with cold water. While 
this was going on I sent for a cab and also for a medical 
man. The cab arrived before the doctor, and I sent two 
keepers with him in the cab to the University Hospital ; 
on arriving there it required all their assistance to get him 
from the cab into the hospital. 
A variety of means were used to try and recover him, 
but he died within an hour after his arrival at that 
institution. 
NARROW ESCAPE OF A FAMILY FROM DESTRUCTION BY 
PUFF-ADDERS. 
Having received information from a dealer at the East 
End of London that he had a fine lot of newly-arrived 
snakes for sale, I paid a visit to his house for the purpose 
of viewing them. 
Upon entering the parlour I found the wife of the 
dealer busily engaged in removing from a box, of rather 
capacious dimensions, a number of torpid puff-adders, 
some of them of large size. These deadly creatures she 
was quietly placing upon the hearthrug before the fire. 
One or two children were, at the same time, playing about 
the room. I could scarcely find words to express my 
astonishment at what she was doing, and my dread at 
seeing her in such imminent danger ; she was handling 
them as if they were so many eels, thinking that, by their 
being so inactive, they were perfectly harmless. I at once 
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