noted that ‘immediately snake-hunting became the
favourite occupation of all the restless spirits of the age,
who preferred a bush life to steady employment in the
towns’. 69 The frauds soon started, and in almost Monty
Pythonesque absurdness, nests were being raided and
baby birds’ heads offered to claim the bounty. 70 It was
apparent the scheme was doomed to failure, and in only a
few months Lady Franklin had forked out 600 pounds for
some 12,000 snakes. The record for bounties claimed
was held by John Hemming of Longford, near
Launceston, who killed 339 snakes. 70 This does not
surprise the author at all. Copperheads are still common
in the Longford district but in Hemming's day, prior to
the drainage of very large lagoons, swamps and other
wetlands, there must have been some enormous
populations of snakes in the area.
Snakes alive: reptile experts and antidote sellers of
Australia, which featured a 1931 newspaper photo of
Murray casually holding a bundle of large Tiger Snakes.
Murray was born in Sydney but spent most of his life in
Hobart and first appears in Tasmanian papers in 1929 41
exhibiting snakes in Devonport and declaring he was
developing an antidote made from undisclosed local
vegetation to treat snake bite, as well as setting up a
snake farm in the nearby township of Don. The legendary
Australian snake showman George Cann Sr, whom
Murray had visited in Sydney shortly beforehand, may
well have heavily influenced his plans. 36 We next hear of
him after being severely bitten by a Chappell Island Tiger
Snake while publically handling snakes at Whitemark,
Flinders Island. He had just returned from Chappell
Island after capturing 275 snakes in four days,
M urray blamed his collapse on the fact that he had been
demonstrating in hot sun for two hours prior to the bite!
Chappell Island Tiger Snakes were not only biting and
killing people on the island itself, but they were also
accounting for some brave but reckless snake showmen
of the time. Perhaps the best known is Wallace James
'Jimmy' Murray, which is remarkable considering how
short his career was to last. 36 His enduring fame is
probably due to John Cann's hugely popular 1986 book,
including 93 in a single day. 42,43 Murray applied his
own remedy* on this occasion but collapsed and was
treated by a nurse and ‘injected with the usual
remedies’ (whatever that means!). Perhaps to save face,
or due to a genuine belief in his remedy, Murray blamed
his collapse on the fact that he had been demonstrating in
hot sun for two hours prior to the bite. 44 He had formed a
relationship with Dr Kellaway from the Walter & Eliza
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