244 



Family III. BOID.E. 



Maxillaries, palatines, and pterygoids movable ; transpalatine 

 present ; pterygoids extending to quadrate or mandible ; supra- 

 temporal present, attached scale-like to the cranial walls, suspending 

 quadrate; praefrontals forming a suture with nasals. Mandible 

 with coronoid bone. Teeth in jaws and on palate. Vestiges of 

 pelvis, formed of four elements, viz. ilium, pubis, ischium, and 

 femur ; the latter usually terminating in a claw-like spur visible 

 on each side of the vent. 



Fig. 73. SkulLof Python rcticulatiis. 

 A. Upper view. B. Lower yiew. 



ang. Angular. 

 ar. Articular. 

 bo. Basioccipital. 

 bp. "Basisphenoid. 

 c.a. Columella auris. 

 cor. Coronoid. 

 d. Dentary. 

 co. Exoccipital. 



/. Frontal. 



ni. Maxillary. 



n. Nasal. 



p. Parietal. 



pi. Palatine. 

 pm. Pnumaxillary. 

 prf. Pricfronta] . 

 pro. Prootic. 



pt. Pterygoid. 

 ptf. Postfrontal. 

 q. Quadrate. 

 so. Supraoccipital. 

 sor. Supraorbital. 

 st. Supratemporal. 

 1p. Transpalatine. 

 v. Vomer. 



This family, which includes the largest Snakes, is represented 

 all over the hotter parts of the globe. It may be divided into 

 three subfamilies : 



1. Pyihonince. Prsemaxillary teeth and supraorbital bone present. 



2. Chondropytlwnince. No praemaxillary teeth; a supraorbital 

 bone. 



3. Boince. No praemaxillary teeth ; no supraorbital bone. 

 The first and third are represented in India. 



