The Snake Asphyxiator.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2912, 31 May 1888, Page 3

The Snake Asphyxiator.

Mr T. C. Buckland, writing " about Bnakes" in Longman's Magazine, tells a fanny story about the Dub of Argyll's device to rid India of tho ?jjjemous reptiles. When His Grace as Secretary for India, there came to him tho cunning inventor of the " aspliyxiator," which when applied to a rabbit hole caused the rabbit cither to bolt or be suffocated. The Duke then ordered twenty asphyxiate io be sent to India in order that the snake might be treated even as the rabbit had Men, Mr Buckland was ordered to nfpj trial of the device. It comprised a " sort of fire-box in which a pestilently smelling paper was to bo burnt." The turning of a wheel sent tho smoko through a long nozzlo which was to be inserted in the snake's hole, Mr Buckland having manned the crew of three men (one to stoke and turn the wheel and another to direct the nozzle, and the third to stand by with a stick in caso the snake elected to boll.), set out one day to make the trial. The smoke was promptly injected into a snake hole when out jumped a terrified rat, Tho man with the stick struck at it madly and broke the AAle-pipo, tho man that held that ftiil bock upon him that worked the engine, and both collapsed, and—the rat escaped! After a native had lighted up this infernal machine to warm himself, andbeen found well asphyxiated "themen,"as Mr Buckland naively puts it, "lost confidence "in it; and the official career of his Graco's aspliyxiator in Bengal came to an end. On tjjgjvhole, it was lucky that the men charge of it never encountered anything worse than a rat.