Newspaper Page Text
9
DAILY
EVENING BULLETIN.
- if
r:r n L1 rf
2-no: - no. . UH i :IjS MAYSVILLJP; ?IUtAY, MARCH 30, 1883. PklCE ONE CENT.
ABOUT SNAKES.
Tythonn nntl Annconrtivt Snake' KjrK" nn
How VJ Aro Hatclioil Ufctttpviiiilcen
Food for llumuti
"With Itcptllro. "
Thoro was brought to the Star oilico
by Mr. G. O. Starr yesterday an
egg. It was twico tho size oi' a
but was not as regular in
shape. Tho outer covering, instead of
being haul and brittle like a ahull, was
eosottthat it could bo easily indented
by the linger. This singular egg was
cold and clammy to the touch, and it
gave a person who handled it an uncomfortable
feeling liko that which
would result from contact with a snake,
toad or frog.
This egg,' said Mr. Starr, 'was
laid by the python
whioh" was brought to this city by Mr.
G. 1$. Bunnell a fow days ago. The
python is sitting upon a nest full of such
eggflf and in a short time a lot of Jittlo
snakes will bo hatched out Thoy will
bb nice pets for people who have an admiration
for reptiles, Tho mother snake
is twenty-live feet in length, and eho Is
coiled upon her nest nnd patiently awaiting
tho advent of her young. Her tamper
is just liko that of a setting lien.
She is very ugly, and if sho is disturbed
Bho manifests . nor mspieauro .,." . in a way i
that gives at meuuiers 10 unuersuinu
that Bho wishes to no lot severely aiono.
W'liai snail i uo wim mis iiinigr
was tho inquiry made by tho representative
of tho Star, to whom tho python's
egg was handed. j
'You can havo it hatched art itici al '
ly," was tho reply of tho donor. Just
keep it in cotton in a place, which is
neither too warm nor too colli, ami t o A roproieAtntJvtfof tho Stttr, who
thing you know you will be the tQ t,ome along just thon and
'owner of a real, hVo python. 1 hen if oVcrhcftrd thl, Central American's re-yon-
toko proper care of the yoUnc I m,u.k st.sk(, i him to relate some of his
Bnake it will grow so largo that it will exporicn(.eS ,viti, snftklM, Tho man was
be able to coil about and crush
you you tenilI of or seventy years,
m its vice-like folds. Hi f h hroned. and his hair,
Mr. W'. A. Conkling, Superintendent ' . . ... . . .. atr.ntht ail
of the Central Park Monageno. speak-
ing of reptiles, said: "There is scarcely
that commands so much
aversion as the serpent, and, yct in spite
of this, it is duo of the most interesting
offeU'that come before the naturalist.
Tot' little attention has been pai'd to
the snako, 'as compared to others
of the' animal kingdom. The ancient
writers speak in respectful tones of
of Size attd power. Aristotle tolls
of the immense Lyban serpents, so
largo that 'they pursued and tip'sot some
of-the voyagers' boats that visited that
coast. Tho story of tho gigant'c snake
that threw the army of Rcgulus into disorder
by killing and devouring
rif Oils soldiers, and squeezing a few hundred
to death in his folds, will bo
Regulus I'nally killed tue
moiihter by aid ol tho engine's used to as-
.. . .. ....
m i 1 fill. .!!-. !.!..
sail iortinoi places, xiio.skiii i uu p-
iiiiiu vim.v .w,..,, """" "
adorned one the temples of Home.
Mr. Conkling added: " 1 ho story
that snakes cover their prey with suliva
is an error. Sir Robert Ker Porter .sa s
the python does not lirst cover its prey
with saliva. Tho mucous doe not pour
out of tho u. "rlands unless ... the prey . h hirjro
and it is required to lubricate the jaws
anil throat lor tho seemingly disniopor.
tionato feast. Pythons will cling by ihe
tjiil to some tree growing in tho water,
and then tloat upon thosurfaeo and wait
for nn'mals that may come to the water
to qui neh their thirst. 'J hoy often feed
noon each other. In the Zoolotrioai
Gardens in London, ono who had lived
for years on friendly terms with a
brother nearly as largo as himself, was
found one morning sole tenant of his
den. As tho ca0 was secure, tlio Keep
er was puzled q know, how the serpent
II ULll C111I1U IMU. Jlll II JUll WUMb It luuu
up and down snako story, ldt mo intro-
dueo you to Prof. Hutchlngs.'
"Can I tell you anything about
enakes? 1 dho'uld say so," 'said tho llov. j
Mr. Hutchings, lightning calculator and'
lecturer upon Bunnell's Wiers. Sir!
1 could tell you facts, sir-facts , ta i
She? that wSSTCwlSi yu'wUh
.... ...
lllill T f':il..i..l',. n..r.
lTnr. x" x.wil? "lY".. VI". "S ""
Juai'KCi, near ouuuuu, chiu.jm.ii.uio, , i .
k, 8UHablo for
Klml OI Rnn.a suuauio 101
ri vittv tn croh nnd ft oxiioiisos.L A?.any
Thoso were glorious days; gold way up, f0l4)4u ' riittlnsnnkn nro delicious
and niyolfonerally in u liko nil07l bSn
I noticed for several days a man '. ' ,,,. ,,. fn.mm . i ,.., siim.n
,hoy called KSoUl9)mngj;;Sabo;;uta
Jvves wiin a iookv no imu
peculiar eltdiuir motion, and his teet,
muHlod in slippers, iravo forth no mord
sound than tho reptile. Shortly after I
noticoil tno proprietor uiivuiumju
1 1 Jul n nt nnnvrM "I1 W
BnaKCS. JIW UV u muumuiuwi wwu
with a Imr n rircftti with air-holes,
SJS ua.??r.5aiffir
the rattlo of musketry.
What yer got( strangor?' said
pushing through" the 'crowd
Rattlors,' said tho mountaineer.
'L6t'W0 takp one:' said Reynolds,
forWW.' '" '
reaching 1
bite, and
when thoy bite, thoy kUl,' was the reply.'
.
" If yer brought those in answof lo
tho advertisement them's my snakes,'
fcaid Rovnolds, as ho plunged his hand
Into the box,. In a second ho brought
forth a six-foot rattlesnake, and holding
it between a thumb and linger looked at
it. Tho far-away look in tho oyos of
tho mysterious m:tn had given way to a
dancing, sparkling brilliancy, before
which the shako was powerless.
' Ain't lie purty? Seo tho sun strike
its handsome hidoand cum back in rainbow
colors.- Kiss mo, boy.' '
' Slowly the 'deadly serpent went towards
his mouth, and thon darted down
his throat: Tho crowd did not move;
thoy scarcely breathed. I felt my hair
rising; I might say, in Now Haven slang:
Wo were paralyzed.' At all ovents,
wo wcro rooted to tho spot as firmly aa
tho Pyramids aro to Egypt's sand. In
an instant his hands wero in the box,
and no lees than twenty of theso deadly
animals wore dancimr around him to
tho music of their rattles. Tho mount
aineer wrts palo as a sheet, and trembled
as with the ague. Hack wont tho snake?
into tho box. Turning to the mountaineer,
Roynolds exclaimed: 'What's
the matter; aro yo cold?' His voice
broko tho spell; the mountaineer gave
one look, and thon made for tho door.
He novor came for pay for thoso snakes."
Anions tho visitors to seo the
python on exhibition
t, wa,ft nntiVc, of Central America
He told tho attendant at thedoor that a
long residence in a warm climato had
nirdo him perfectly familiar with reptiles
and their habits. Ho
ed'eil that the pvthoh in the museum
was a wonderful sernent, but ho said
. , , .
h hl Guatemala.
tbatof ftU ln,Uat 1Io W1W fU ix fot
tM, uml ,h(, ia1lknesi, ()f hisflgnreg'iVo
,. 8msruIar unnearanco. He told
the reporter that his name wasSonor
Jose Dece. that he was born in Mexico,
and left that country foe Central America
when a young man. Thn Sennr
was weli'educaivd, to speak
in the Kifgllsh language "With the samo
fluency that he does in his nativo
tongue. He said:
"I havo eamped in swamps and
thickoi., ail, stent with pythons and
anacondas crawling an ulijiut mo. I
nuver thought of eing afraid of them.
The stone told in books of immense
snake ntticking large animals ami
men. eoiliiiir about thorn anil crushing
and swallowing their pioy, aro for the
most part oaggeiutions.' It is true
that Mini'l animals are often killed and
swul!oW(.a whoUj ,y anacondas and
boa-o etors; but It is sate to say
that no man was ever niado
n in' d of by a serpent.
iVoro Mm ever attacked by a serpent?
' the. reporter asi ed.
1 lU'M'r had niie lactic me, but a
pallor willi whom I was acquainted had
a prett mere experience lie was
wa" n in i thii'kot on one innoiilish'
niirht. or thirty years ago,
...rnn ,. 81Iti,i0I1iv found himself
uhHj with tno folds of a tremendous
,mico. suppose he would have drawn
a knifo from his pocket and cut the
reptile in two, but unfortunately for
him ho did not happon to havo any cutting
instrument with him at tho time.
So all that was loft for him to do was
to strugglo and frco himself tho best
wav he could. Ilo made a desperate
effort and loosened himsolf from what
was a very closo embrnco. Onco free,
is a certain spot at
base of a snake's head which, if struck
evdn a slight blow, will cause death."
" Is 'an anaconda 'good for hnman
food?"
"Now, that is a question which is very
awr , It may be wholesome,
K,Hr'
t it would' be, protty toiujh
jl fhnk
eating for arty human being who has an
JSfei SwAl frrwwl
.. ..
,UVnViirV .-Ft 4 H.IIUU1V1II I..i.M m
pood souare meal."
," . , ,. - u.u ,,, ,
The folks down in tho
northern part of tho Slato of Penns
eat rattlesnakes. Tho sorponts
in . that Stato aro particularly plump,
i nvt,n,iiiv Inviting to tho palato
V WAW14I 11 "".
, . '
nn t11M" Annl- tn tlm nrltm.
i"' "" "l"w"tu. """h v. V
-
cut up intp pieces, about an inch or an
inch 'ana n hall Jong, ana men irieu tue
sam;o aVo'ii, Wolildook; an efol. I liayo
oaten rattlers lotsof timoB, Thoy taste
s6mothingllikt)'e61s', only a great deal
&&Wi fpVpfbattlpiJnak? to 'frogs
anv aav ut ue weect jje in
i I' "ii
"Did you ever seo a pyramid ol
snakes?"
"If ybu moan ono of those conical
piles of reptiles, such as Livingston saw
in Africa, I will tell you that I novor
saw a pyramid; but 1 havo seen a heap
or big knots of serpents all twisted and
entertwincd in a wriggling, squirming,
slimy, hissing bunch. I wa3 exploring
a cn'vo in South America a fow years
agu, when I carao to a passago that was
so low and narrow that I was compelled
to get down and crawl upon my hands
and kneos. 1 had to hold my torch in
my teeth, and, as I could not manage
it very woll, my light was extinguished,
and my only alternative was to gropo
along in darkness. Suddenly I felt
something cold and slimy against my
hands. I knew from tho feeling that I
had touched a snake. Then 1 blindly
nit my hands forward and thrust them
nto a nest of eorponts. You can
liovo that 1 got out of that place aa
a
speedily as possible "-N. Y. Star.
Tho Arctic Fascination.
Thero is something about tho solemn I
fascination of Arotio voyages that nono
but they who havo made thorn can
Even when tnoso expeditions
end in tho disaster which almost invariably
attends them, tho adventurers
aro no sooner rccovorod in body and
mind from their afllictions than thoy aro
ready and sometimes eager to o say
onco more tho stern, solemn mystery
which tho ico barrier of tho pole guard
with such pitiless jealousy. A correspondent,
whointerviedDanenliowor im
mediately after his return to New York,
found him m what might be called a
pitiable condition. Tho prolonged
and privations ho li:ui undergone,
'tho remembrance" of the los of
the gallant whip crushed in the lee, and
ot the mournful fato of his companions,
and, more than all, tho sudden transfer
front the desolate Wastes and
loneliness of tho Polar region
to the warmth and light and life of ew
York civilization in tho month of May,
had so unsuttled his mind that ho was
unable to control his thoughts and actions.
Even memory had left a portion
of its powers behind in t!ie!ild. dreary
region from which he had esrapod, and
injho course of conversation the dazed
adventurer would halt and trroiie for
the forgotten word to express himself
in. Oh," said ho, ' 1 can't tind tho
Word I want; that Arotio nightmare is
still on mo." And yet when asked if
he would like to joiuanothcroNpcdition
to the dismal region, he instantly
,4yes."
Wo may bewail tho loss of so many
gallaut spirits and stout vessels that
have perifthed in the search for this yet
unsolved niy.storv, and rebuke tho
ilarinr which seeks to tear from the
ley heat t ol tho poio a secret union,
when hi ought to view, would probably
bo absolutely destitute of all practical
value; but lamentations and rebuke will
bo of no avail as long as this unaccountable
taSeinntion holds its .spell ii-ou
the minds of hardy navigators. That
insatiable thirst, lor knowledge which
animates the mleroseopist in liis search
for tho ultimate atom, the cheniiht in
his pursuit of the vital force, the
in his analysis of fjhosfy
nobulm. tho African traveler in his hunt
for tlin souico of the Xi e. and tho
archtcologist in his ceaMles questionings
of the dumb tumuli beneath which
repose the relics of past chiiiat'tons
will, no doubt, draw victims to the Arctic
sepulchre as long as the mystery of tho
pole remains. St. l.uuis lltpubiiean.
The Iliimaii Ko.nlway.
At tho elO'O of ono of the gro.tt religious
festivals of tho Moslem oir a
number of Arabs aro .seen to dftneh
themselves from tho crowd and to lio
down side by Bide in the dust, face downward,
like logs upon a 'corduroy" road,
'whilo thoir friends, crowding' around
thbnl, piw down an arm here and tlmi'e,
in order'to nlilke this living pavtiiiioiit
as compact as 'tthon all is
Toady thu orowd falls buck, whllu a
lior.setnan coming up from behind
jiassea at n quick walk oWr tin) prtnuo
bodies. This is called the l)oih, or
"trainiHing" i'aoh man reoehes the
full pressure of tho iron-shod hoot
in the small of his back, and not a fow
may bo seen to writhe under it like
trdilden worms. Tho momoilt thlft
liorribto pageant is over tho friends and
relatives oftho trampled men rush up
to thoin and' do their utmost to make it
appear that thoy havo received nil
froni tho Tho odious
farco. however, is always
-the erroaus and writhing ot tho sufferers
boinc a v6rv sufll'cient evidence to the
contiury. The whole" speet:iolo is revolting
in the1 extreme but deserves attention
as fetrikhig proof of tl)o longthft
to which suporstitiqiand fanaticism can
ero, even in an ajjo of higlilv developed
n r '
'
'civilization-.
.i
A Coney Island who
died the otluir "dav dOnVl'ssod to havlrtir
JnatioIrited ill tiiirteoii'mHiuo" Vaees
'WkdrewWaifcrrfci&ttt bdfOreitand whioh
rtrWMttoWin'.. ' ' " '
pat ato r i up , '
WIT AND WISDOM. '
Novor run in debt for what yor
ctnnot pay for to-morrow.
At tho West Point review tho othci
day General Howard had his hat on
hii d sldo before. Perhaps ho is coming
out with a new stylo of tactics. Bur'
linqton Hawkcyc.
There is no antidote for the poison
used by tho Carribeati Indians on thoii
arrows. If you want to bo aafo have o
Pnvtinn phnot you with a bullet. Detroit
Free Press.
Where aro wo going .this summer?
Paraguay, dear roauorParaguay. That
is the country where yoi: aro expected
to kiss every woman to whom you're
Lowell Citizen.
"So Garibaldi is dead," said an
Omnha girl yesterday. "I remember
his name perfectly because he invented
those Garibaldi waists wo used to wear
fow yearri ago." There is nothing
exactly 'liko famo. Chicago Tribune
"Deacon Jenkins was yesterday
threatened with a severe attack of eon-cushion
of the spine, but is now our of
danger," was the way tho editor stated
that tho ileau'm got over tho ionce In
time to escape tho old ram. Hoston
l'ost.
- The Boston Trriifcnpl is sad onco
more. It remarks: "It is now aulrnied
that poor digestion is caused by 'weak
eyes. And wo had always supptiscdjust
the op;o3ito, namely, that dyspeptics
wero generally people with eyes nigger
than their stomachs."
Don't carry a million sovereigns in
your pockets for liftcen years. In thnt
time, we are told, thoy will Iobo in
we'ght, by wear and tear, one-half of
one per cent, or about 92.5.000, 'and
this sum Is an important itdm at tho
present price of beef. Norrislown Herald.
A gentleman is a rarer thing than
some (it us think for. Which of, us can
point out many such in his circlo men
who are generous, whoso 'truth is constant
aiid olevati'd, who pan look the
world honestly in the face ufjth an
equal, manly sympathy for the great
and tho small P Wo all know a hundred
whose coats aro well made, and 'a
score who have excellent manners, but
ot gentlemen, now manyr iaix, us uiko
a little scrap df paper and each make
bis list. Tiiackeray.
" 1 have ono of tho best pianos in
tho world; it was made to order for me.
I have had it ten years, and it .ins only
been tuned three times since, and it is
in pretty fair tune now; try it," sho
said, as she opened tho lid. ' Now,
how often ought a piano to bo tuned?"
"Well, madam, that depends on what
kind of a piano it is, what sort of care
is 'taken of it, and who uses it. An
artist has his piano tuned every time ho
uses it, professional people every time
it needs it, purchasers of instruments
three or four times a year,
anil people with sole-lent her ears,
uever. ' Music.
The Sting of tho Bee.
If wo press tho abdomen of a bee or
wasp, so as to cause tho sting to protrude,
we should naturally think that tho
sh vvp, dark-colored instrument was tho
sting itself. This, however, is not the
case. The real sting is a very slender
instrument, nearly transparent, keenly
pointed, and armed on ono educe with ?.
row of barbs. So exactly does the st!,ig
resemble the many barbed arrow of certain
savage tribes that, if tho savages
had possessed microscopes, w should
certainly havo thought that thoy borrowed
tno Idoa of tho barb from the insect.
What wo seo with the unaided
oye is simply the sheath of the sting.
Many savages poison tueir spears ami
arrows, and bore also thoy have been
anticipated by the insect But tho sting
is infinitely superior to tho arrow poisdn.
No poison that has yet boon mode, not
oven the terrible wourali, or curarp, as
it is sometimes caiiea, can retain us
strength after long exposure to air. Tho
upas poison of Borneo, for example,
loses its potency in two or throe hours.
But' the venom Of the sting is never
to tho air at all. It is secroted by
two long, thread-like glandsi not nearly
so thick as a human hair, and is then received
into a little bag at tho base of the
sting. When the insect uses its weapon
it contracts the abdomen, thereby
the sting oilt and compressing tho
venom-bag. By the forco of tho stroke
which drives tho sting into tho foo its
base is pressod against the venom-bug
and a small amount of tho poison driven
into tho wound. As a rule, if tho bee or
wasp be allowed to remain quiet, it will
withdraw its sting, but as tho pain
pauses sudden jerk, tho barbed
weapon can not bo withdrawn, and the
whole apparatus of sting, poison-bag;
and glands is torn out rof the 'ihtfecf,
theroby causing its death. Odod WtYdSh
A species oi cactus Js made usomi id
fiber" orttid leaVei
v loriua. Tho strong
is turned into1 fbpfe. Its 'jutco'lnt i
P.leW, &rU its trunc, aitci
Time.
Iluman ingenuity cannot mako time.
It can only in erYt motliodd, of measuring
tho hours and minutqs as they
pass. When tho earth was young,
shadows cast by noted tho
passing hours. From theso sprang the
sun-dial, which answered "wiiilo tho
sun sliono. but failed' while tho sky was
cloudy. Then water-clocks, or
as thoy aro technically known,
came into use. By these, Athenian
orators wero wont to timo their
speeches two thousand vears ago. After
tho water-clock came tlio hour-glass of
running sand, and for three hundred
years this was tho common method of
measuring timo. Even iifty years ago
it was enfployed in churches to inform
" the elder" when ho had preached
enough. Meantime, various ruilo forms
of clocks had been constructed, but
none of much use. Not until tho invention
of the pendulum in tlio middle
of the seventeenth century, and its
fdication to clocks, did thoy becomo
Tho clocks and watches of today
aro so numerous and cheap, that
nearly every can aflord to
carry a let all tho
clocks and watches in the world cannot
toll tho time of day unless regulated
with tho suu. They merely show tho
amount of passing tinie. Tho sun
shows what time it is, whether morning,
noon or night
Strange mistakes aro often made by
relying solely on clock-time. A party
of travelers," not long ago, wero onthoir
way west through Arizona. Arriving
at i uma at eight o'clock, railroad time,
they to iind tho dining-room
clock indicating an hour earlier.
Still more wcro they surprised, after
having leisurely eaten breakfast, ' to
learn on embarking again, that it was
but six o'olock, Strango, thoy thought;
arrive at eight: breakfast at Eoven; an.it
leave at six! Two hours gain! But (he,
clocks wero right Tho first
City, Mo., time; tho second was
Yuma time; and the last was San .Francisco
timo.
Places east nnd west of each other
cannot have the samo timo. Only thoso
directly north and south are thusfavorod.
Could a man continually travel around
the earth, keeping with tho sun, bo
might live his allotted space of throe
score years and tea" within a Binglo
day, for tho'sun would never rise or. apt
to him. It would always be day. Yet
even then ho could not mako time. Ho
could not prolong his lifo, nor givo to
the world more hours. Tho only way
to make timo is to make use of it, every
moment as it comes. Timo onco gono
is time gono forever, whether tho clock
saja so or not Youtffs Companion.
A woman of Stockton. Oil.,
sho was about to die. confessed
lo hor husband that hho did not love
him, but had centered hor affections on
a neighbor. She declared that sho
could not die unforgivcii, and so tho
husband freely forgave her. But ho
granted the favor only in view of her
speedy death, and, when sho unexpectedly
reco ored, he began u suit for
llnr defense is that ho condoned
her fault by the forgiveness, and
a poeulinr question of law is raised. N.
Y. JJcraht.
Two men fo l from a broken scaffold
in New York, recently, a distance
of fOonty feet. One struck head
downward' on fho Hag stone, dashing
his brains out The other went through
a wooden packing lrox. making a round
hole in it, and sustaining tcrriblo injuries
from which ho was expected to
die. A third man saved himself by
clinging to a window-sill and
A clerk of a River boat
has given tho Cincinnati Zoological
f'Ait .. iroiiiwr uml tint rnnrinn
,0.)0rtor 0f thelit Louis JtcpubUcanhaa
dedicated the animal in thu following
8tana.
Do to others ns you would
That they should do to you;
So Albert gives hi llttlo bear
To tho Cincinnati Zoo.
.
i i
Of tho Yalo class of 1832 no fewer
than confess that thoy
drink intoxicating liquids,
smoko, fifty-seven bet, forty gamble
and swear. Fourteen of tho
class aro engaged to bo married. A'.
Y. Sun.
Georgia has probably tho smallest
foreign-born population of any Stato,
only 10,661 out of 1,542,000 total; sho
prouably has also tho largest per cent
nativo to hor own soil, over 1,400,000.
A Nevada loTnr, loamiug that death
loved a shining mark, gave lm rival a
diamond piu, which caught the girl,
and uow t"0 fellow, wants Jo know, "who
makes up them goldanieu things in tho
papers. " Chicago litter- Ocean:
A Missouri tree lias yielded 800
rails. 000 ' ten' dords of.
wood, .tmdtono rocoopu.,
It rPposod ,to havppbetfftaOO, ye
xtmirtm
