. Wanderings in South America, the north-west of the United States, and the Antilles, in the years 1812, 1816, 1820, and 1824 [microform] : with original instructions for the perfect preservation of birds, &c. for cabinets of natural history. Zoology; Zoologie. SOUTH AMERICA. my wife, there eoiiltl iu)t have been more continued and diNiigreeable hissing in tli bed-chamber that night. At daybreak, I sent to borrow ten of the negroes who were cutting wood at a distance , I could have done with half that number, but judged it most pindcnt to have a good force, in case he should try to escape
. Wanderings in South America, the north-west of the United States, and the Antilles, in the years 1812, 1816, 1820, and 1824 [microform] : with original instructions for the perfect preservation of birds, &c. for cabinets of natural history. Zoology; Zoologie. SOUTH AMERICA. my wife, there eoiiltl iu)t have been more continued and diNiigreeable hissing in tli bed-chamber that night. At daybreak, I sent to borrow ten of the negroes who were cutting wood at a distance , I could have done with half that number, but judged it most pindcnt to have a good force, in case he should try to escape from the house when we opened the bag. However, nr)thing serious occurred. We untied the mouth of the bag, kept him down by main force, and then I cut his throat. lie bled like an ox. By six o'clock the same evening, he was completely dissected. On examining his teeth, I observed that they were all bent like tenter-hooks, pointing down his throat, and not so large or strong as I ex[)ccted to have found them; but they are exactly suited to what they are inteniled by nature to perform. The snake does not masticate his food, and thus the only service his teeth have to perfcniii is to seize his prey, and hold it till he swallows it whole. In general, the skins of snakes are sent to museums without the head : for when the Indians and Negroes kill a snake, they seldom fail to cut off the head, and then they run no risk from its teeth. When the skin is stuffed in the nmseum, a wooden head is substituted, anned with teeth which arc large enough to suit a tiger's jaw; and this tends to mislead the spectator, and give him erro- neous ideas. During this fray with the serpent, the old negro, Daddy Quaslii, was in George-town procuring provisions, and just 205 TiimD JoVRNBV. Kills niid (liiHccts the Siinke. â «â J?* 1. v; ,1, '^'\ 1 -t ft, .''I. r . I ,^!^. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - color
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Keywords: ., bookauthorwate, bookcentury1800, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1825
