File:Wild-animal celebrities (1907) (14598154270).jpg

Identifier: cu31924024784443 (find matches)
Title: Wild-animal celebrities
Year: 1907 (1900s)
Authors: Velvin, Ellen
Subjects: Animal behavior
Publisher: New York, Moffat, Yard & company
Contributing Library: Cornell University Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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ies on his return for Selima,he was told that she had starved herself todeath. Food had been placed in her cage, butshe refused to touch it, and, in spite of beingsubjected to the stuffing process which I havejust described, she finally developed cankerand died. I make no comments on this, butthese are facts, and I am inclined to thinkthat this python, being accustomed to beinghandled daily, fondled, and fed by hand, hadin some way missed her new master; but thisI leave for others to decide for themselves. Mr. Frank Bostock, in his book on TheTraining of Wild Animals, tells a capitalsnake story about Great Peter, one of the larg-est pythons ever kept in captivity. He says :* A curious incident . . . occurred atthe Pan American Exhibition with GreatPeter. Great Peter had been fasting for sometime—most of the summer in fact—and wewere beginning to feel anxious about him,when, toward the end of September, he sud- * The Training of Wild Animals, Frank C. Bostock. TheCentury Co., N. Y.
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Great Peter, in Bostocks, one of the LargestPythons Ever Kept in Captivity SNAKES 227 denly became very lively—always a sure signof hunger. Much delighted at these signs, his keeperat once looked for suitable food for him, andprocured a young razor-backed pig. As ageneral rule, most animals, when put in withsnakes are rendered helpless by fear. Theyappear paralyzed by a strange fascination,and, instead of making the slightest resistanceor attempt to get away, stay on the very spotwhere they are thrown until the snake killsthem with a bite, or thrusts them into theirtomb by swallowing them. But this little razor-back was made ofdifferent stuff, and was neither fascinated norhelpless from fear. The moment he enteredthe cage it was evident that he meant to havea good fight for it no matter what happened.He gave the python no time to strike, but tak-ing time by the forelock, ran up to the hugesnake, screaming shrilly at the top of hisvoice, and fastened his sturdy tusks firmly inthe bac

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