Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 196, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 August 1916 — INTERESTING ITEMS FROM THE CITIES [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

INTERESTING ITEMS FROM THE CITIES

New York Zoo Has a Snake That Blows Itself Up

NEW YORK. —Keeper Charley Snyder of the snakehouse up at the Bronx park soo got a new hunch the other day for his old scheme of crossing the hoop snake with the puff adder, and thereby turning out a constant supply of

living tires for automobiles. For the first time in the experience of even the noted snake expert of the Bronx park reptile house, Dr. Raymond Dltmars, a snake came to the park which can blow itself up like a Wall street bull market. The snake was sent to the zoo by a party of naturalists now in South America looking up specimens for the Zoological society. It is about four feet long and normally not fatter than a broom handle. The moment that

sightseers stop in front of its glass house it first seems to become obsessed with the notion that it is another Charlotte of the Hippodrome ice ballet and begins to throw Itself Into grapevine twists, figure eights and capital S’s. There were hopes that it could also write its name with Itself, but this feat seemed beyond it When it takes a deep breath or something, however, is the time that its great mental and physical gifts are displayed at their best One moment the crowd saw a snake an Inch or less In diameter and the next moment It was a Zeppelin. All four feet of the snake begin to swell until the body measures from three to four inches In diameter from head to steering gear. The snake will remain inflated for some time then, or until It reaches a decision that enough Is enough. Thereupon it collapses with the suddenness and general huljabaloo of an automobile tire.