From Bretz’s unpublished memoirs-
Several of us with unusual interest in biology under Prof. C.E. Barr had extended our interest to the capture alive of local fauna, from amphibia to reptilia to a bald-faced hornet nest, complete with its inhabitants. In particular, Jay Field and I each possessed 2 black snakes and 2 blue racers, through the winter of our senior year, force-feeding them through what should have been their period of hibernation. What to do with them when graduation came? The answer was quickly found. Eat them! What? Eat 24 feet of snake? We solved that problem and gained temporarily undying fame by advertising a Snake Feed. To the 4 snakes we added a snapping turtle (and its eggs), frog legs and water cress salad. All strictlyorganic. But I found too few frogs, so I added warty toads enough, about a 50-50 chance per diner. We had applications from as many students as 3 inches of snake on the cob per customer could be provided for. Toads were numerous every night in the street under an old-type arc lamp, feasting on insects stunned by the light. This shortage of frog legs was not announced until after the feed. “If your frog leg was of dark meat, it wasn’t frog, it was toad”. One big football man had preferred the dark meat but, immediately after my announcement, he rushed to the door and left his stomach contents on the lawn.
We had thoughtfully invited the local reporter from one of the Detroit dailys. The headlines next morning proclaimed in big black letters that “Albion College students eat snakes.” Many a good Methodist was shocked by this and it earned for us the bitter disapproval of President Dickie.
THE INFAMOUS SNAKE FEED
From Bretz’s unpublished memoirs
Several of us with unusual interest in biology under Prof. C.E. Barr had extended our interest to the capture alive of local fauna, from amphibia to reptilia to a bald-faced hornet nest, complete with its inhabitants. In particular, Jay Field and I each possessed 2 black snakes and 2 blue racers, through the winter of our senior year, force-feeding them through what should have been their period of hibernation. What to do with them when graduation came? The answer was quickly found. Eat them! What? Eat 24 feet of snake? We solved that problem and gained temporarily undying fame by advertising a Snake Feed. To the 4 snakes we added a snapping turtle (and its eggs), frog legs and water cress salad. All strictlyorganic. But I found too few frogs, so I added warty toads enough, about a 50-50 chance per diner. We had applications from as many students as 3 inches of snake on the cob per customer could be provided for. Toads were numerous every night in the street under an old-type arc lamp, feasting on insects stunned by the light. This shortage of frog legs was not announced until after the feed. “If your frog leg was of dark meat, it wasn’t frog, it was toad”. One big football man had preferred the dark meat but, immediately after my announcement, he rushed to the door and left his stomach contents on the lawn.
We had thoughtfully invited the local reporter from one of the Detroit dailys. The headlines next morning proclaimed in big black letters that “Albion College students eat snakes.” Many a good Methodist was shocked by this and it earned for us the bitter disapproval of President Dickie.
Biology Class in 1904.
