Snakes As Pets

It may seeni strange to make a pet of a snake, but it is not so strange aftor all when you know the particular repule which seems to be becoming the fad in New York, says the New York Times. It is the king snake and it can be truly called the peacock of its species It is most beautifully marked, sonietimes in red and black stripes and again in white and black stripes. It bas seldom been known to bite a human being, and yet it is a terror to all ' other snakes. Small as the king snake is, it never hesitates to attack another suake, no matter how large, and it is a rare case when it does not succeed in killing its enemy. The king snake. when full grown is about a foot and a half long. It is found as far north as Colorado and as far south as Texas. Those found in Colorado are marked with dull brown stripes by no means beautiful; but as you travel south you will find the king snake more and more beautifully marked, and when you reach the borders of Mexico the finest specimen of any snake in the world can be found. They are most intelligent reptiles and can easily be domesticated. They can be fondled without the least fear, and will not attack a human being less aroused. The king snake is most graceful in repose, and when in action its movements are like lightning. A dealer whom I saw in Harlem lias over a hundred of them in stock, and he told me yesterday that he sells something like five a day. They bring all the way from $2 to ?5 apieoe. "New Yorkers kHow little of snakes," said he to me yesterday, "and least of all the king snake. I received two or three of them from a friend of mine in Texas last year and kept them as curiosities. I put them in a case in my window, and the beauty of their colors attracted many people. I received dozens of inquines about them. The majority of the people never heard of a king snake and when I told them that the snake was not dangerous and related little incidents of their intelli,genee the people were wild to get one. This may have started the fad for king snakes, but at any rate to please my customers I had to order a large stock of the snakes and now I have more demand for them than for anything else." "Where do the people keep the snakes?" I asked. "Right in the house. They crawl abcut the floor and make themselves at home as readily as a cat or r. dog. In fact, they rid the house of vermin, and no mice or rats remain anywhere near a king snake. They are perfectly harmless and will never attack you unless, of course, you deliberately tantalize them. "The king snake delights in feeding on mice. It can go without eating for nearly six months at a time, but when it is really hungry it will attack anything. As a result I am obliged to keep on hand a large number of mice to meet demands for them as a repast for the king snake. I am not surprised that peojple take to this repule so much, especially women. It is the most beautiful snake of which I know, and the most intelligent."