The conscience and will ought to guard character against its
destructive enemies as the Brazilians guard their houses, according to
the following account:
Rats have multiplied to such a degree in Brazil that the
inhabitants rear a certain kind of snake for destroying them.
The Brazilian domestic serpent is the _giboia_, a small
species of boa about twelve feet in length and of the diameter
of a man’s arm. This snake, which is entirely harmless and
sluggish in its movements, passes the entire day asleep at the
foot of the staircase of the house, scarcely deigning to raise
its head at the approach of a visitor, or when a strange noise
is heard in the vestibule. At nightfall the _giboia_ begins
to hunt, crawling along here and there, and even penetrating
the space above the ceiling and beneath the flooring. Springing
swiftly forward, it seizes the rat by the nape and crushes
its cervical vertebrae. As serpents rarely eat, even when at
liberty, the _giboia_ kills only for the pleasure of
killing. It becomes so accustomed to its master’s house that if
carried to a distance it escapes and finds its way back home.
Every house in the warmest provinces where rats abound owns its
_giboia_, a fixture by destination, and the owner of which
praises its qualities when he wishes to sell or let his house.
(Text.)--_Scientific American._
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