1933-12-21 — Page 9

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HOODED DEATH

Of all the deadly snakes, pro- break off the poison teeth. This bably none is so well known as may be done in several ways, but the cobra; this is partly due to the usual method is to irritate the fact that in India and in the the snake by shaking in front of East generally it is by far the 1a plece of rag tied at the end commonest of the thanatophidia, of a cord. When the snake strik=" The es, the man pulls the card sharp- or death-dealing serpents. cobra might, however, justifiablyly away and carries the teeth Another way is to zelze plead, with Punch's tramp, arf with it. the lles you 'ear about me, lady. the snake, force a peice of stick ain't true." I do not believe that between" its jaws, and then, by it ever attacks human being ex-pulling it forward, to snap of the cept in what it belleves to be the fangs. A snake so treated has a defence of itself or its young, and very tender mouth for some time, unlike some of the vipers, especs and will not attempt to strike un ally the Russel Viper, it will al- til the wound has healed and ways try to get out of harm's way fresh poison teeth have come for. if there is a chance of doing so. ward to replace the broken ones. I worked with cobras and other A man once came to my compound deadly snakes for many years, and with two cobras which he hand- came to the very definite conciled with the utmost fearlessness. sion that the former are gentle He did not even bother to watch and very timid snakes, and that the animals, but kept his eye on the camera with which I was tak- they respond quickly to kind treatment. The essential point in ing his photograph: I bought the handling them is, to avoid caus- cobras from him, killed them, and ing them alarm by any sudden found that though one had both movement. On one occasion when poison fangs broken off. the other cobra, which had been tho-had but one so put out of action. roughly frightened by a mon He little knew what risk he was goose, got out of control and be- running, yet possibly he may have came very dangerous, I was able been correct in believing that a to quiet and then, to capture it by snake" so damaged was safe en- At the same holding the top of the round ough to handle. snake-basket in which it had pre-time, I am satifled that many of viously been confined over its head the cobras brought round to per form have in no way beer mutil- and slowly lowering it. "I am bound to confess that it was a ated. Another snake-man's trick is to make a cut into the poison- tense moment, but it taught me a lot in a very few seconds. A good sac from beneath the lip on each Astula. deal has been, said and written side; this establishes

which may sometimes be perman on the subject of the immunity

ent, and which effectually pre- which the snake-charmers are reputed to possess, but I believe vents the reptile from delivering that any protection they enjoy a poisonous bite. To uriderstand is due to their knowledge of the this it is necessary to realise ex- habits of the reptiles, which leads actly how a fatal bite is Inflicted. in common with the these men to work gently, rhy- A cobra, thmically, fearlessly and methodi- other poisonous colubrine makes.

has only one pair of poison-tran "cally.

smitting fangs in use at time. There are others behind which soon replace them when they are damaged or lost. A lang may be compared to the needle of a hy- podermic syringe, and just as that needle is connected with the bar-

1

a

connected on each side with the sac or reservoir in which the vo“ nom is stored ready for use. The poisonous fluid is secreted slewis by a gland which is strictly comi parable with our own' salivary. glands. When the snake wants to bite, it raises head, hisses loud- 17. spreads out its hood-prèsum- ably to terrify its victim-lunges forward with the weight of its stroke behind the head, drives the fangs home into Its prey, and In- jects its venom by a muscular squeeze on its poison bag. The whole action must be co-ordin- ated in order to be successful There must be the poison in the sac, the connection between it and the tooth must be perfect, the teeth must stand at right angles to the upper jaw instead of lying tucked up against it as they or- dinarily do, the fangs must pe. netrate the victim's skin, and at the correct moment, the muscle which covers the poison out into the bitter tissues.

Whilst I was carrying out snaku- venom research in Professor Sir Thomas R. Fraser's laboratory in Edinburgh, I had occasion to use a large quantity of cobra and other venoms. The consequence was, that the demand for the pro-rel of the syringe, so are the fangs duct in Madras (whence my supp- ly came) went up for the time being with abound. A number, of anake-men, were thus kept un usually busy, and with their earn ings were able. and of course more than willing, to indulge free- ly in arrack (native spirit), with the unfortunate result that two of them lost their lives. Their un

comparative wealth accustomed led to intoxication, and so made them forget their usual caution. I have no doubt that some hasty or 111-judged mofement alarmed the snakes, and fatal bites were inflicted. I have never heard of a snake-charmer being killed in the ordinary pursuit of his calling. nor have I ever seen one show the least fear of a colubrine snake; but it was quite different with the vipers, which they never hand le if they can help. That, how ever, is "another story altogether. There can be no doubt that a cobra is fond of music-if the noise which the charmer makes on his pipe can be so classified. The snake shows every sign of appre- ciating the sounds produced, and, with hood erect, sways gently in time with the music and with the stance, in which an Indian officer movement "of man's body, Whe-

got into bed and, was bitten on the ther wild snakes are really charm

foot. He threw back the sheet. ed from their holes by the pipes and to his horror found a cobra It is difficult to say, but this be beneath it. There was no help lief is held very firmly by many available, and, after killing the trustworthy Anglo-Indians, and I snake, he sat down to write final am not prepared to dispute it. It letters and make his will. He then is quite certain that if a reward got into bed, and woke in the of a rupee for each live cobra is morning none the worse for his offered, the supply is almost un- adventure. Just another instan- limited; these are unquestionably ce: I saw a large Russel viper wild snakes.

seize a village dog and shake it Cobras, like all other animals, as a terrier shakes a rat. The vary greatly; some are probably dog howled. but was none the far more easily tamed than others. | worse. Obviously the snakes, in Those which are" brought round | both these Instances failed to in- for display on the verandahs" of | ject venom. A few days later the the hotels or private houses are, same dog walked over the same I belleve, specially selected: their Russel viper in search of a bit of obedience and tractability, are meat. The viper struck with the most striking. Not only do the rapidity of a whiplash, and the snakes vary among themselves, dog was dead in twenty minutes. but the same is true of the chan- | the quickest death "from" snake mers. Some adopt cruel methods | bite I have ever seen or been, able of tariing their charges, one of to authenticate.--From the commonest of which is to 'wood's Magazine.

All this explains why people and animals sometimes recover from the bite of a poisonous snake. I have known of an in-

Christmas Puzzle

·Black-

MYSTIFYING STRING TRICK

*

Get a plece of thin string 8 inches in length, tie the ends

SOLUTION

Tarn the hands as shown. în

together with" a neat knot, and illustration, then place the right-

place over the left-hand first finger and under the right-hand, first thus:

hand finger on the left-hand thumb, and the left-hand anger

on the right-hand thumb, then

Now turn the looped string round and round with the two

fingers, then stop and place the open them out and the string will Angers and thumbs together in fall through the opening It la such a position that the looped very simple but very pussling-try string falls through the circle it once or twice before showing formed by the thumbs and fingers this trick:

HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1933.

"A grand shew?”

"

---KATE SMITH

GEORGE OLSEN.

THE GREATEST ENTERTAINERS IN THE WORLD NEVER DREAMED THERE COULD BE SUCH ENTERTAINMENT!

Creation's severest critics-yet they stood and cheered when Warner Bros. unveiled this great attraction at a secret preview, for celebrities of stage and radiof

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A picture to rave about!” -JACK PEARL

nd

The show that set Broadway lights dancing again! Dazzling array of stars! More than 50 featured players! The all-American beauty chorus of 2001 Hit melodies that are sweeping the nation! Two spectacular shows in one with a complete Broad- way musical.comedy presented scene for scene while the heart-gripping story saces on!... with

WARNER BAXTER, BEBE DANIELS, GEORGE BRENT,...and 11 other great stars!

*Somathing original at læst)"

-BING CROSBY

"A really great musical!”

--PAUL WHITEMAN

→Songs you will never forget?" ---GUY LOMBARDO

A

"The best show FYN GYOK SEDA”

-MONTÓN DOWNEY)

“Marvelous sutartalarenti”

—ARE LYMAN

When a pictura such as this comes to Hong kong, there's no need to mak which Thestra, will present it. Of course its showing at the

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DECORATIONS FOR THE CLOCK, but quite a number usually in

TOWER

the middle of the coach, bear no label at all The question arises,

smoker

On a landing of the "stair-case | therefore, what exactly is the at- in the Palace of Westminster, titude of the authorities towards

Central leads from the

the casual

who smokes "which Lobby to the Committee Corridor, therein? there is a fine painting of Queen An experiment "ad hoc" yielded" Elizabeth announcing to a cluster

no despite result. There were. of courtiers who are begging her aix of us, three smoking and three to marry that she is "wedded to

not. The travelling Inspector: who the State.” One of the interest- axamined our tickets gazed hard ing things about the "picture is and ruminatively at us all, but that in the group may be picked said nothing. Evidently he evad- out past and present Members of ed the issue, feeling, like Mark Parliament Lord Ullswater, for Twain's Mr. Ballou, who vainly example, the ex-Speaker of the tried to drink coffee, made with House of Commons, has an ex- | alkali water that the problem.......... cellent Breness in the foreground. was frankly "too technical "for"

hira "

WHY SO MUCH WATER?

Now that the Once of Works is renewing the gargoyles on the Clock Tower in stone which will not crumble, "what a chance for Immortality! Let us send for Mr.rels more are being put away.

Beer is coming back as the na- tional beverage; barrels and bar-.

water-

Epstein to portray Mr. MacDonald

But on top of this comes the gargoyling a conference, Mr. Bald-puzzling announcement that Lon-" win frowning on a Tory revolt. don is consuming more and Sir Stafford Cripps making Nordic grimaces as a Dictator. SIR WILLIAM PAKENHAM

From far away Rhodesia has come an appreciation of the late. Sir William Pakenham.

"I can

fully bear out all you say." writes my correspondent, "as to his ex- treme, geniality with the younger generation."

In May, 1929, he met the Ad- miral at Albertville on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, and the travelled together to Kalado. At a riverside station a young New He Zealander came on board. was introduced to the Admiral, who spoke with him of his home country until the time came for visitors to go ashore.

Afterwards Sir William remark- ed to his travelling companion: "I was most interested in our young friend from New Zealand. but (lowering his voice) I didn't' tell him that I was once offered the Governor-Generalship of his country."

283 million gallons every day.

Where does it all go? Into baths or glasses of Scotch? AL this rate the now at Teddington Weir may become a mere trickle.. and the Chairman of the Com- servators be threatened with more "of those sleepless nights to which he ance confessed. However the average

care man won't

very much where, the water goes so long as it doesn't get into the beer.

RECKLESS DUCK HUNTERS

The Department of Agriculture has begun a 'campaign to put an end to the wastage of waterfowl in the open season. It is a com- mon: 'practice. fo fire into', flocks: with such deadly effect that it isn't thought worth while to bother with wounded birds, ‹W.C. Henderso. of the biological survey ⠀ says in a bulletin:

"Most of this inhumane and“

wasteful crippling can be prevent- ed if gunners will refrain from shooting at birds at long range and from using shotguns of a "Oh, sir," said the listener,gauge too small to be effective. "you should have taken it." "Flock shooting.” the indis- criminate fring into birds in the air or on the water, is a prolific' cause" of crippling and is properly. regarded with disgust by expert- enced sportsmen.”

house

"Yes," he replied in many ways I would have been the crown of my career; but I made some Inquiries about the job, and found there was an enorIROUS and (again lowering his voice), seven housemaids, so I felt it wasn't exactly the place for an old bachelor like myself."

Another instance of how little things influence the course of history!

BUSINESS ENGLISH

Mrs. Katherine M. Gibbs, head. of the Gibba Business School of Boston (USA), is doing good good work in teaching the rising generation to avoid correspon- dence cliches

The kill has been estimated at' 18,000,000 birds each season, hälf of which number are crippled and probably become the victims of predatorý animals. A result is that the stock of breeding birds is seriously reduced. The supply of birds migrating north. in the. Spring is too small to permit of thecessary, wastage, -- "H Times"!

TOO MUCH FORGOTTEN

Dr. William J. Mayo thinks one big fault in American education, among many, consistä" in Tri posing on the young people "too, much memorizing of things of the past. Yet often it would seem

that what this country needs most is a good stín dose of know-

Here are a few of her "seven deadly sins," which she suggests are "an outlandish echo of the 16th Century," but which to me seem of much more recent origin:

per. your instructions,” "Please And enclosed," favour of the 12th inst.," and "We dimcult times wish to state.""

"AK

#You

ledge of its own past and of the past of all humanity., We should be experiencing greater pose in if people were aware that our perils and our re-

My own idea of the truly grue-medies are not quite so new an "some is "Yours of even date to hand "

PALESTINE AGITATORS

they think. The chief thing that is unprecedented in the present -situation is the frequent use of the word "unprecedented."

As for education, it is precisely in this country since the war

The Jaffa police must have been hard put to it before firing son the Arab crowd, for a better dis- ciplined or level-headed force it that the widest departure has would be hard to find. Most of been made from teaching things them are public school boys, they of the past to teaching things: of are imbued with the right spirit Yet all our college courses in red-hot-Immediacy and actuality, and make every allowance for dairying and horse-shoeing have Arab. excitability,

apparently left us less tempera- mentally prepared to face the hard facta of economic depression than the people of England and France, where the old collage courses flourish, “N-Y. Times,

On the whole Jew and Arah get on quite well together in Palestine. If the few agitators there could be deported the trouble would

cease.

"

"ST. THRIFT'S DAY"'"

A COFFER THAT WILL NOT FALL

Ask one of the company to come

The Scandinavian root "thrifa". means to grasp from "thrift one thrives, and this we are told is to prosper, flourish, grow vigorously. October 31st is cele- brated in all countries as World forward, and then tell him that Thrift Day, & day on which the you can place a copper between advantages of wise saving are his fingers so that he cannot let it fall - He will not believe – you. brought home to everybody

probably, but ask him to try it. The "Popolo d'Italia" of which Tell him to place the tips of his Signor Mussolini ww the found two middle angers together and er, has just published some re- markable figures of the savings of the Italian working classes; in the Post Office banks which pay arate of interest substantially, higher than our own 21 per cent

deposits have increased since. 1928 by over 56 per cent. They are, indeed, going up by a steady 2,000,000,000 lize each year.

Bmall savings in most countries "seem to be on the up-grade

Thrift is the world's real buttress agatust. Commimism, «ces

TO SMOKE OR NOT TO SMOKE?

A pretty exercise in ca

afforded by the news, labelling the carriages LMBRANAY