An ugly cobra laid and blinked at me through the glass , looking quite as dangerous as he was . There were big and little snakes , -- black , brown , and speckled , lively and lazy , pretty and plain ones , -- but I liked the great boa best . When I came to his cage , I did n't see anything but the branch of a tree , such as I had seen in other cages , for the snakes to wind up and down . ` Where is he , I wonder ? I hope he has n't got out , ' I said to myself , thinking of a story I read once of a person in a menagerie , who turned suddenly and saw a great boa gliding towards him . As I stood wondering if the big worm could be under the little flat blanket before me , the branch began to move all at once , and with a start , I saw a limb swing down to stare at me with the boa 's glittering eyes . He was so exactly the colour of the bare bough , and lay so still , I had not seen him till he came to take a look at me . A very villainous-looking reptile he was , and I felt grateful that I did n't live in a country where such unpleasant neighbours might pop in upon you unexpectedly . He was kind enough to take a promenade and show me his size , which seemed immense , as he stretched himself , and then knotted his rough grayish body into a great loop , with the fiery-eyed head in the middle . He was not one of the largest kind , but I was quite satisfied , and left him to his dinner of rabbits , which I had n't the heart to stay and see him devour alive . I was walking toward the camel 's pagoda , when , all of a sudden , a long , dark , curling thing came over my shoulder , and I felt warm breath in my face . ` It 's the boa ; ' I thought , and gave a skip which carried me into the hedge , where I stuck , much to the amusement of some children riding on the elephant whose trunk had frightened me . He had politely tried to tell me to clear the way , which I certainly had done with all speed . Picking myself out of the hedge I walked beside him , examining his clumsy feet and peering up at his small , intelligent eye . I 'm very sure he winked at me , as if enjoying the joke , and kept poking his trunk into my pocket , hoping to find something eatable . I felt as if I had got into a foreign country as I looked about me and saw elephants and camels walking among the trees ; flocks of snow-white cranes stalking over the grass , on their long scarlet legs ; striped Zebras racing in their paddock ; queer kangaroos hopping about , with little ones in their pouches ; pretty antelopes chasing one another ; and , in an immense wire-covered aviary , all sorts of brilliant birds were flying about as gaily as if at home . One of the curiosities was a sea-cow , who lived in a tank of salt water , and came at the keeper 's call to kiss him , and flounder on its flippers along the margin of the tank after a fish . It was very like a seal , only much larger , and had four fins instead of two . Its eyes were lovely , so dark and soft and liquid ; but its mouth was not pretty , and I declined one of the damp kisses which it was ready to dispense at word of command . The great polar bear lived next door , and spent his time splashing in and out of a pool of water , or sitting on a block of ice , panting , as if the mild spring day was blazing midsummer .
He XXXXX very unhappy , and I thought it a pity that they did n't invent a big refrigerator for him .
devour dispense enjoying hope liked looked looking see seemed stay