BAGS OP SNAKES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21143, 29 March 1932, Page 9

BAGS OP SNAKES.

PROBLEM FOR EVERYBODY.,!-J ■H —; — OWNER'S TEMPORARY ILLNESS.^ Vi When a snake charmer was taken iIL sud-, denly at Brighton-lc-Sands recently, says & ' Sydney newspaper, and was taken to a-' hospital, the /.custody of his snakes successively by policemen, ambulance men and j hospital officials caused much concern. George Atkins, professionally known a* j "Pamba," a snake- charmer, -of Sydney* was giving his Sunday performance on j the promenade at Brighton-le-Sands when j he became ill. Mr. Atkins complained of 5 severe pains, and said that a couple of s days previously be had been bitten by, two venomous snakes. Ambulance men decided to take Mr* Atkins to the St. George Hospital, but i Mr. Atkins refused to go without his t snakes (about 20). to which he was vsiy, 1 much attached. He placed them in kit bags and sugar bags and handed them over to a constable, who was loth to taka charge of theifl. The driver of the ambulance refused fo put- the snakes beside him on the driver s seat, and they were .placed inside the van in charge of the constable. W hen, Mr. Atkins was taken iiito the hospital* the hospital officials diet not. like the> prospect of keeping (he snakes there, and the nurses were considerably agitated; but the ambulance officials refused to have anything more to do with the snakes, and the police declined to take charge of them, so they were left at hospital. A doctor kept Mr. Atkins ob« starvation for about three hours, and although the latter showed two recent snake bites, the doctor diagnosed his illness as gastritis. Aft or some treatment Mr. Atkins became well enough to leav® the institution, and the difficult problem of how to feed the snakes, which had been agitating the hospital officials, was solved when the. owner walked from tha hospital with bags of snakes in both hands and over his shoulder.