"DOCTOR" FOX.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2007, 14 March 1914, Page 2

"DOCTOR" FOX.

A CLEVER SNAKE FIGHTER.

% tlie death of ' 5 j3.r.,'" .Fox at. tho teetlLof aii I'jjjdiaft ?;o : bi:aj,.A.Usj>raTia,;iose» a- fiuo. poi'sonality. Iteiiig by Uift d 6' tji-il that wag jiq' inojij a- doctor than a, Jig lia<l dofitorfid ■at feitst Ml sijaice iites on his »whp:er:SQii-4i-is<|(i4jmgs yiffli ycnqinoiisi regimes w-.?re .pito wciM, ' • iio lived; at fiqta.n : y, jiea.r the bay of ! thjit luirno, ftlqsq to .jjiid iiJio son m t m fcliotcc ffi f a%bdo lay in. its pi-o'x : i:mrty to. the sandy, Et4 : ubby !.b:usii' a;ronnd i.,ts lVrouse ai.id KW.ivel'{, Ac■cWr.d;ii?e to .a writer m #\& ■' Mbounio liii<l; a hole m Ms j-aftl aboyt ajid iii tliis Wirb liiijiflfcds ;of serppMs, "Jtll p.f tlio hidst deadly stamp." .Captites flipy wei'S, mdM.d,. hm pjeoflcjfs' of -the liigfet tank Hβ' tteittccl: tliciii inth tlic- courtesy diiO: , :xr»ni caiiquenJr to a;n, hbhaui-ed ipfr. Ho diiiefl iyitlithfjiii, feftjtltfasted with tjieii) Baaiea witli. sitli them SpnjeJWfeS', JFer ■cp.mpart.y :Fo.x a.iifi liis fliialtea liacl Mi.e fqrnicr'Et littio. 'daughtsr. ■Sho io.vo.d~ theso eiic.njieg of maiik : (iid as. Eve nTOst ; .h,avg v !OTC(J, a liioro ancient SffiVpeivti-' Site foijdlcd . ;tlieiii, carik& ■thchi .a : bqui iii Irer piiiafqr'e, Btrokcd' ilieiii Bko It wia's a, ]iap;p:y Ktlile faiiiifv.

Hut like ail prisoners of war Hicso agrle icptiles experienced cpitain diß- - Fust, tb<»j were not allowed to return lo tlieirnatuo nildt fiecondh, hud to be "milked" legulaih. It «is tho "nnllting" they disliked most. AMicii tho time foi this opeiition camo '&raJtri, M or "Piofessor" Fo.\ as tlio "Doctor" vas knann would eei7o hie prponcis oim b> one, tiltinp; hold of tin m bj tho middle of tho back, and holding them just out of sinking distance, from his facp Tho rerpent would in piatert, and dart ]iib tojiguo Kvk and forth Mcioush "Ptcidv, beiuit\," "Dr" Fo\ would rcmoik, iiid ho slipped one liniid along Uio leptilo's bick till ho hid liold of it tlie bick of the neck If anjono was looking on, as wa-f often the case, for Fox had Ramwl n wido roputatioiij "ind Msitors vero frequent, ho nonld probibTj nnko as if to kiss the writhing snako whilo tho \isitorsdien back with a shudder, and tho ieptilo hissed and struggled Witli Ins left hand To\ would tiko a small glass, like a watch ulais, but slightly moio conca\e, o\cr tlio top of which a thin slioot or rubboi was stietched. Gripping tlic make bv tho nfck and head in Ins light liand, lio would tlicn puih this httlo glas<> tia> into its mouth, and the snake would anitrily bito on tlie glass, thiouKh tlio rubber When it bit )1 was "milked '" Fov Would tlien put the reptile aw in, and, rcmovuig the rubber fctrip from tho glass, show his admnmg \isitors two diops of transparent liquid on the surface of tho glass This was tho milk produced at hi"! dam.—a milk thit is tho constant diead of bush dwellers, hut which lo Pnakey Fo\ was as mother's milk He- lived by it—Selling it to scientific bodies and tlio uunorsity for purposcb of research Ho would "milk" his uliolo held of iniggliug' snakeb, and then feed his pots with frogs as choice a» tbo<;o whoso legs Riato the tiblc of Flench opicurc? Ho fanned tho frogs himself, and his little girl helped him. Fo\ wjs a picturesque looking man. Tall and slim, with long hiir, deep huiJgr\ looking e\es, dressed in looso clothes, with a bioad snakoskm belt round hm waist, he alwajs drciv a crowd when ho gave his Tegular &undd> leeuiio. to picknidsois ncal tho blarks , t.unp 41 v,, ifost visitors il ~tfl~' !^ r tlncy ,:: - , lnrciv :: ''li'im. His presence in tho district was an additional riducoinoni to hightseers who do the tup to tho monument of the gie.it naugalor who aimed in Austialu three dajs too lato lo niako it a Fiench possejisiou Hie writer ouro was watching him lecture to a laigo gathoiing, when a tiger snako tint bad unsuccessfully struck at bis hand se\cial times, suddenly buried its ttelh in his wnst "Naughty bn.\" was all h.o said ah ho put the smko m a bag He went on with his dibcouise, explaining about bib antidote Fi\o or bi\ minutes later ho remarked, "If will c\cuso me, ladies and gontlemen, 1 will attend to this little bite A snakebite, is alwajs voij painful, and if I delav much longer I'll swell up, and may die, though I believe I am now immune, as this is the hundred and seventh bite I have had" Ho showed tho two punctures to tho anxious speetatois, took a penknife, cut an incision over each wound and rubbed in his antidote winch was m liquid form in a small bottle "Now," he siid, "I'm safe-, though I am in a good deal of pain " Ho continued his lecture

Perhaps tho most , interesting thing about the "Doctor" was liis method of catcliing snckos. Ho would often catch 20 or 30 in a day among the sand hills, routing them out of hollow logs and from under dpad grass in an extraordinary manner. His companions probably would not eec more- than one or two snakes in the whole day Until ''Fox" was hauling them 'by the tail out of a tree stump or from under a log. Ho was always willing to '"fight" a snake for the amusement of Ills friends. Xhe fight was commenced by him lottjng-thc newly captured' reptile go. and seizing it again just as it was disappearing down a hole. Ho would do this a few times till tlio serpent became thoroughly angry, and, giving up all idea of trying to escape, would turn ana assume tie- aggressive. Time after time the reptile would strike at him, and invariably miss, only to be caught in tho dexterous hand of the "professor" with a skill that would do credit to a professor of legerdemain. Occasionally lie ■would be bitten, but his remedy never failed him. "Snalcey" Fox dealt only with, venomous snakes; black, brown, tigers , or rnlders wore preferred. For lnng it liad licMi his ambition to fight tho , dread cobra on its own ground. Sbino of his friends, who were convinced -of tbo sterling quality of his specific in regard to Australian serpents, feared lest it might wove unavailing against ti foroign assailant. But Fov lioyer doubted. He was ready to risk his life to establish his antidote, Apparently ho- 'baa Fueceedcd, as from tho cabl.ed report death would appear to have boon duo to a bite wliicl'i was unnoticed, though four wore treated. Fox, wo said, was no doctor; hut Tip has ijiven his life for science, and his mitidoto may lie. the means of saving many lives. So, aftor all, ho I? a doctor and a true scientist.