SNAKES ARE THE CATS OF THE PHILIPPINES.
*—. The snakes are the professional ratcatchers in the Philippine article, and every well-regulated household must have its snakes. "Nearly a_l of the .older bun- ■ galows in Manilla," a correspondent* writes, ■ "possess what are called house-snakes, huge 1 reptiles generally twelve or fourteen feet 1 .long, -and as thick as a fire-engine hose, 1 that permanetly reside up in the roof and 1 live on rate. : These big createures are harmless, and rarely, if ever, leave their abodes. Judging from the noise over my cloth ceiling, a pair of these pets find pasturage up + iabove, and I can hear them whacking around about once'a week in their chase after rats. They are good though noisy rat-catchers; but'j«iace they must needs eat all-thev efficiency seems to be limited to their lepgth of stomach. . '. -. 'The only way.-t_ get rid of the rats seems to be to buy: more snakes,, and this is simple enough, lipr you often see theVatives'hawking them abound the town, the, boas curled up around bamboo poke, to which their heads we _i«J».
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume LVI, Issue 10269, 11 February 1899, Page 3
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180SNAKES ARE THE CATS OF THE PHILIPPINES. Press, Volume LVI, Issue 10269, 11 February 1899, Page 3
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