SNAKE STORY FROM VICTORIA.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 14, 29 April 1871, Page 5

SNAKE STORY FROM VICTORIA.

From the ‘‘Weekly Times”we extract the following story of a snake, a la Baron Munchausen, written correspondent styling himself “ Hylus : The inevitable snake stories are turning up all over the country. I heard one the other day that amused me. A man living somewhere up-country caught a diamond snake, extracted its fangs, and made rather a pet of it* Among other instructions given to his strange toy was that of dancing to music. The story is easily explained. Snakes, as anv Indian snake-charmer will tell you, are fond of music, and generally evince that fondness by sitting up on their tails, and gracefully moving their , heads. This peculiarity was in the case I am recording, brought to perfection. By dint of constantly playing on the flute tbe man so improved the snake’s ear that the creature not only learned to know one' tune from another, but to show that he did so. That is to say, when “ Annie Laurie was played the snake would sit gravely up, and move Pis head with a slow pensive motion. When the air was changed to a valse the creature would undulate its folds and move its head more quickly ; but when “ God Save the Queen” was played its whole frame was agitated, the eyes glistened and glared, proving that if there be any truth in the Pythagorean

creed, the snake must have at one time been, in another shape, a distinguished loyalist. This went on for some time, the snake gradually improving in its musical ability, till at last one night the owner was awakened by some one playing on the flute. Several times before he had been awakened by the same noise, but had generally attributed it to his fancy. This time, however, the tiling was so unmistakeable that he went to the window’ and looked out- It was bright moonlight. What a sight met his astonished eye ! With a cunning worthy of the first snake on record, his diamond-spotted pet had managed to prop his master’s flute up against a tree, and, having coiled himself round it, was broailiing into the vent. As a tune, the result was not what might have been desired by a critical music teacher. But

it was attended with results. Gathered round in a ring were about twenty dia mond snakes, all sitting on their tails,

and gravely wagging tlieir heads as his own snake snake feebly produced a tune that bore a melancholy resemblance to “ God Save the Queen.” Most men

would have either rushed out or retired

to bed, and left the place the next day. This man did not. He retired to bed, indeed, but it was to form a plan. The next day, after carefully locking the door, so that his own snake could not get out, he stood at the window and slowly played the flute, until after an hour his patience was rewarded by the sight of the same snakes he had seen before. He continued to play, and, as if appreciative of the improvement in the music over that they had heard the night before, the snakes grew more active in their head motions and less quiet on their tails. For eight nights, he continued this, and through the snakes probably going home and telling their friends, he got an audience of nearly fifty. To these he, on the ninth night, played “ God Save the Queen” so long and so effectively that at last they all sank down in an ecstatic trance, one rather orderly snake absolutely tying himself into a knot with delight. Then the man went out and slew them ; and, another extraordinary circumstance, a dog which would devour a portion of the elderly snake became a dancing dog of disreputable habits from that day out. The story is strange, but true; the man’s address is at Professor Halford’s service.”