(This article originally appeared on page 27 of the December 26, 1949, publication of The Los Angeles Times and is reprinted word-for-word below.)
‘ODDEST GIFT’
Ontario Boy Given Snake by Museum
SANTA BARBARA, Dec. 25-Probably one of the oddest Christmas, presents today went to the 10-year-old son of Dr. and Mrs. A. Williams of Ontario.
It was a king snake, the gift of the Museum of Natural History here.
The family drove here from Ontario yesterday to buy the snake but was informed the museum had no such pets for sale.
However, on learning how unhappy the boy would be and that his parents had driven 125 miles to find such a present, Director Arthur Coggeshall of the museum made them a gift of the snake. He shoved it into a sugar bag and the family drove off anticipating a happy Christmas.
