THE RATTLESNAKE 141 



but are the giants of the serpent order. They consist 

 of two groups, distinguished by no very striking differ- 

 ence : (i) the boas, and (2) the pythons. The former are 

 confined exclusively to America and Australia and the 

 tropical Pacific Islands, while the pythons are mostly 

 from the Old World. 



The kind so familiar by name, the boa constrictor, is 

 found from the northern part of Central America to 

 southern Brazil, and is very often seen in menageries. 

 It is not a very large creature generally, not being much 

 above seven feet in length, though it may attain four- 

 teen. The boas and pythons both agree with and differ 

 from the viperine snakes as regards their mode of feeding. 

 They agree with them in that before proceeding to 

 devour a prey they kill it. They differ from them in 

 that they do not poison their prey, since they have no 

 poison fangs or any grooved teeth. They kill their 

 victims by crushing, and they perform the act with 

 amazing rapidity. 



We have often observed boas and pythons do this 

 in captivity, and can affirm that the rabbits and 

 duck introduced into their cages are entirely desti- 

 tute of fear or apprehension and suffer nothing until 

 they are seized, and then their sufferings are extremely 

 brief. Such a serpent, if disposed to feed to attain 

 which disposition it often needs a fast of several weeks 

 will move slowly about till it brings its mouth opposite 

 to the muzzle of the rabbit. Then in an instant its 

 mouth is opened and the rabbit's head is seized, while 

 simultaneously the voluminous folds of the powerful 

 body are twined round it, and it is crushed immediately 

 to death. The serpent does not at once uncoil its folds 

 but continues for a time tightly to embrace its victim, 

 so that reanimation becomes impossible. Then the 



