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Filler
September 5, 1838
Event 2 of 2
Southern Telegraph
Rodney, Jefferson County, Mississippi
What is this article about?
In Batavia, N.Y., a gentleman discovered a live snake suspended by a spider's web in his cellar on the 13th ult., with its mouth and tail secured by web cords and a green fly used to hoist it. Spiders fed on it until the web broke on the 16th; it died eight days later, eaten by ants. (187 chars)
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Full Text
This is Event 2 of 2. The full text below covers all events in this component.
Astonishing Curiosity.—On the 13th ult. a gentleman in this village found in his cellar, a live snake, nine inches long, suspended between two shelves, by the tail, by a spider's web. The snake hung so that he could not reach the shelf below him by about an inch; and several large spiders were then upon him, sucking his juice. The shelves were about two feet apart; the lower one was just below the bottom of the cellar window, which the snake probably passed through into it. From the shelf above there was a web in the shape of an inverted cone, eight or ten inches in diameter at the top, and concentrated to a focus about six or eight inches from the under side of this shelf. From this focus there was a strong cord made of the multiplied thread of spider's web, apparently as large as common sewing silk, and by this cord the snake was suspended.
Upon a critical examination through a magnifying glass, the following curious facts appeared:—The mouth of the snake was fast tied up, by a great number of cords wound around it, so tight that he could not run out his tongue. His tail was tied in a knot, so as to leave a small loop or ring, through which the cord was fastened; and the end of the tail above the loop to the length of something like over half an inch, was lashed fast to the cord, to keep it from slipping. As the snake hung, the length of the cord from the tail to the focus to which it was fastened, was about six inches; a little above the tail there was observed a round ball, about the size of a pea. Upon inspection, this appeared to be a green fly, around which a cord had been fastened to the cords above, and from the rolling side of the ball to keep it from unwinding and letting the snake down. The cord, therefore, must have extended from the focus of the web to the shelf below, where the snake was lying when first captured; and being made fast to the loop in his tail, the fly was carried and fastened about midway to the side of the cord. And then by rolling the fly over and over, it wound around it, both from above and below, until the snake was raised to the proper height, and then was fastened as before mentioned.
In this situation the poor snake hung, alive, and furnishing a continued feast for several large spiders, until Saturday afternoon, the 16th, when some person, by playing with him, broke the web on the shelf below. In this situation he lingered, the spiders taking no notice of him, until Thursday last, eight days after he was discovered, when some large ants were found devouring his dead body.—Batavia (N. Y.) Times.
Upon a critical examination through a magnifying glass, the following curious facts appeared:—The mouth of the snake was fast tied up, by a great number of cords wound around it, so tight that he could not run out his tongue. His tail was tied in a knot, so as to leave a small loop or ring, through which the cord was fastened; and the end of the tail above the loop to the length of something like over half an inch, was lashed fast to the cord, to keep it from slipping. As the snake hung, the length of the cord from the tail to the focus to which it was fastened, was about six inches; a little above the tail there was observed a round ball, about the size of a pea. Upon inspection, this appeared to be a green fly, around which a cord had been fastened to the cords above, and from the rolling side of the ball to keep it from unwinding and letting the snake down. The cord, therefore, must have extended from the focus of the web to the shelf below, where the snake was lying when first captured; and being made fast to the loop in his tail, the fly was carried and fastened about midway to the side of the cord. And then by rolling the fly over and over, it wound around it, both from above and below, until the snake was raised to the proper height, and then was fastened as before mentioned.
In this situation the poor snake hung, alive, and furnishing a continued feast for several large spiders, until Saturday afternoon, the 16th, when some person, by playing with him, broke the web on the shelf below. In this situation he lingered, the spiders taking no notice of him, until Thursday last, eight days after he was discovered, when some large ants were found devouring his dead body.—Batavia (N. Y.) Times.
What sub-type of article is it?
Curiosity