862 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XKVl. 



No XXV— THE RUDIMENTARY HIND LIMB IN AN EMBRYO 



OF FYTUON MOLURUS. 



In Volume XXV of this Journal (page 509) Mr. D'Abreu has contributed 

 a particularly interesting note on the breeding of Python molurus in captivity. 



Among other interesting observations he records the existence of two 

 minute prominences — the rudiments of the hind limb — in a young embryo 

 about three inches long. 



((3) Tiudirneni'CLr^y 'fiirxi. tv-ni 



r^epr-e.se.rtieu. iy a. iud-^~ 

 O) Ope.7lJ.rLg o/- cZoo-CCL 



I wrote to him on the subject, and suggested that the prominences referred 

 to might prove to be the rudiments of the male clasper, and not the 

 rudiments of a limb. In reply he has very courteously sent me the speci- 

 men to examine, and I am pleased to be able to confirm his observation, 

 and have made a drawing of the condition. The opening of the cloaca is 

 seen as a circular orifice. On either side, and on the lateral surface of 

 body, low down, is a bud-like projection. When the embryo is viewed in 

 profile this bud is seen to be oval shaped, and obliquely placed, the largest 

 diameter passing backwards and downwards. I could discern nothing to 

 suggest rudiments of an anterior limb. 



F. AVALL, LiEUT.-CoL., i.m.s. 

 Bangalore, IQth April \Q1Q. 



No. XXVI.— THE HABITS OF THE GREEN WHIP SNAKE 

 DR YOPIIIS MICTERIZANS. 



With reference to the note on " The Habits of Dnjophis mycterizans " pub- 

 lished in the Journal— Vol. XXVI, No. 2, p. 681—, may I inform Mr. A. M. 

 Kinloch that I have come to look upon JJ. myctenzans " eating " other 

 snakes as quite a common occurrence ? Among the victims I may mention 

 Helicops schistosus, Trojjidonotus pitcator, T. platyceps, Folyodontophis collaris. 

 In all these cases the victim's head was well in the mouth of the aggressor 

 and was kept there from two to five minutes before being released. I 

 always examined the victim as soon as set free and never noticed any 

 tooth marking on the head, nor was there any appreciable quantity of 

 saliva about it. The last case on record occurred recently, in March 1919, 

 the victim being another D. mycterizans whose head was well down the 

 throat of the aggressor at the time of my arrival on the spot. The 

 victim's head was disgorged three minutes after and was found to show 

 no tooth puncture ; it was, however, covered with saliva, a sign that degluti- 

 tion * had begun. Both the aggressor and its victim are still in my 

 serpent arium living together in perfect harmony, with a rather mixed 

 crowd of other snakes. 



