Life — March 1, 1928 — page 29: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

The Care and Training of Cobras 4 inj t snakes has become a tas oo fae Paris élite.” —News item.) Furst, as the fellow said about rabbits, catch your cobra, a com- paratively simple problem. Boats are leaving practically all the time for India, where there are more cobras than you could shake a stick at. This phrase is not to be taken literally, for cobras, like elephants, have long memories and cases are on record in which cobras, incensed by the constant shaking of sticks at them, have turned upon their masters. The best method of getting a cobra, according to East Indian natives, is by using high-explosive shells. The artilleryman sets up his gun aimed at a locality which cobras are known to frequent, adjusts a timing apparatus so that shells will be fired at two-minute intervals, and then goes away and minds his own business in some other place for a while. After three or four days he returns, collects the cobras which have been the least damaged and then goes to work to train them. A trained cobra is highly amusing. In no time at all you can teach one to balance any small animal on his nose, and when you stop to consider Asusep Wire: Pickin’ on me an’ findin’ fault! That's all you been doin’ fer the last SS SSSs4 S Op Lavy: Now promise me you won't read that postcard, that a cobra’s daily dict is forty or fifty small animals, you see that you have what amounts to a continuous performance ahead of you. Of course, one large animal, such as a tiger, would make up for any number of small ones (marmosets, arma- dillos, etc.), but a cobra either can not or will not balance a tiger on its nose, so that’s out. Ladies carrying cobras in their month! Nothin’ suits you! I wisht you'd quit readin’ them American Mercuries! handbags are creating quite a furore in Paris this season, we are told, and small wonder. The ability to address the waiter in French creates nowhere near so much of a sensation as the ability to produce a cobra unexpect- edly before a party of guests, and when he rears his hooded head, you may be assured that there will be many expressions of gratified sur- prise and sly waggling of fingers. So far, the only practical use to which cobras have been put has been the emptying of large buildings and arenas quickly, but many others readily occur to the active imagina- tion. You could always get a seat in the subway with one, for instance. Tip Bliss. Motor Goose ITTLE Boy Blue! Come, blow your horn! You're nearing a crossing! brake lining’s worn! “* *# Little Boy Blue didn’t let out a beep— He’s under a tombstone, fast asleep. R. K. Your The regular Silent Drama is omitted this week, owing to the illness of Mr. Sherwood. On page 33, however, will be found a list of pictures previously reviewed in LIFE, and recommended to our readers, comicbooks.com