Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 September 1894 — HUNTING PYTHONS. [ARTICLE]

HUNTING PYTHONS.

Natal Natives Burn the Forest and Drive the Reptiles in a Pit. The colony of Natal, South Africa, abounds in boa constrictors and pythons. While they do not attack men they are especially destructive of cattle, sheep and oxen, and for this reason parties are formed by hunters and natives to burn the bush and forest in order to exterminate the pests. Some of the soldiers at Pietermaritzburg were recently informed by a party of neighboring Zulus of the whereabouts of a huge python that had been destroying their oxen. The soldiers, with 200 natives, started off to capturo the snake, and having located it, the forest was fired for about a mile roundabout, an enormous pit having been previously dug in towards the centre of the inclosed space. What with the burning brush and the shouts of tho excited Kaffirs they soon drove the reptile towards the pit where, closing in upon him, they forcod him into it. The python proved to be of enormous size, being thirty-two feet long and forty-one inches In circumference. It appeared to be quite stupid or dazed, having just eaten a young ox that had boon lot into the inclosuro. An enormous cage with iron bars half way down the front having been constructed tho snake was got out of tho pit and taken into Maritzburg in tho cage. Here it is kept on exhibition at the barracks, and is fed twice a week, two Kaffir goats at each, meal. It will not eat anything that has been already killed for it, preferring to kill its food itself. Tho goats are thrust through a small door at the end of tho cage alivo, whon fixing its great, eyes upon them, tho snake suddenly lunges forward and crushes them in its powerful folds. After covering them with a thick slime about two inches thick, boforo swallowing, it flattens them out by squee*. ing thorn, and then dovours them almost at a gulp. After this the python goes to sleep and does not wake until it is time to feed again. A gentleman in Maritzburg owns a python that has been confined in a cage for over thlrtoen months. During tills period tho snake has not oaton a mouthful of food of any kind, although every conceivable delicacy of likely snake diet, such ns frogs, birds, rats and meats, lias been set to tempt its appetite. Its fast seoms not to bo brokon and tho owner has at last abandoned the idea of coaxing tho colly prisoner with food. It drinks a very Htnall quantity of water. In a dormant, state this fasting would bo bottor understood, for in this state roptiles of this description have been known to exist for porlods of eighteen months, or ovon throe yours.—-[New York World.