1 48 Miscellaneous. 



This plant was collected on a very dry and sunny bank near Cassel, 

 parasitical on Anthemis Cotula, Barkhausia fcetida, Sonctius asper, 

 Galium verum, Torilis nodosa, &c, sometimes twining round them 

 and adhering by lateral tubercles like C. Europaa, and at others 

 lying detached in dense yellow masses on the ground. It is distin- 

 guished by its pedunculated flowers and capitate stigmas from all 

 the other German Cuscutas. On referring to Dietrich's ' Synopsis ' 

 (1840), Dr. PfeifFer found the characters of C. Americana, Pers., to 

 come pretty near to it, but to differ in the umbellate flowers. From the 

 Bengal C. sulcata, Roxb., it is distinguished by the absence of the 

 furrows in the calyx, &c. The orange-yellow colour of the stems ren- 

 ders it very conspicuous when growing in any quantity — A. Henfrey. 



Observations on the Habits of the Python Natalensis. By Thomas 

 S. Savage, M.D., of Cape Palmas, Western Africa. 



This serpent, when spoken of by travellers and residents, has been 

 erroneously called ' Boa/ and thus confounded with the South Ame- 

 rican genus. There is a striking similarity, however, between the 

 two, both in structure and habits, so that were it not for the arrange- 

 ment of the subcaudal scales, one would be identified with the other. 



During my residence here, which has been five years, I have seen 

 a number of individuals of the serpent, but one however alive, which 

 is the specimen I now send. 



The first of which I had any authentic account was one that ap- 

 peared on the Mission premises of the A. B. C. F. Missions. The 

 facts in the case have been kindly furnished by my friend the Rev. 

 J. L. Wilson. He informed me that it was attracted into the yard 

 by a dog. He says in answer to my inquiries, " He w r as 14 feet long, 

 and held the dog not more than two minutes before the natives came 

 to his relief. I suppose that the snake had stretched himself across 

 the path, and seized the dog in the act of jumping over him. I was 

 too much frightened to observe what was the shape of the snake while 

 he held the dog in his folds. I am inclined to think that he had 

 nothing to fasten his tail to while he held the dog. None of the 

 bones of the dog were broken, and I am inclined to think that he 

 received no injury whatever. 



" The snake did not let go his hold till he had received a fatal blow 

 from a bill-hook. The dog then leaped up suddenly several times, 

 as if he were not sure of having been extricated, ran around and 

 entered the back-yard, but for some time appeared afraid of every- 

 thing and everybody. His back only was slimed, and this could not 

 be washed off, but gradually wore away in the course of a week or 

 ten days." 



The next individual of which I have heard was attracted into the 

 house of a colonist, an old woman, by a h^n and her chickens. An 

 nnusual noise was heard under the bed in the night, which awakened 

 the woman. By a light she discovered the serpent in the act of 

 seizing its prey ; affrighted, she fled to the house of a neighbour, 

 who came and captured him with his gun. 



The third individual appeared upon my own premises early in 1837. 

 An antelope was discovered by some workmen a short distance from 



