THE SNAKES 235 



Hindoos practice a deception with this species by paint- 

 ing a mouth and eyes on the blunt tail and exploiting 

 it as a serpent with two independent heads, explaining 

 that while one sleeps the other watches in an endeavor 

 to protect the animal from harm. 



In its habits the Indian Sand Boa tallies with others 

 of its genus, being persistently subterraneous. It digs 

 its way into the burrows of small mammals, upon which 

 it largely feeds. As a captive it is hardy, seldom 

 attempts to bite and feeds upon small rats, mice and 

 birds. It should be kept in perfectly dry sand at a 

 temperature of at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit. 



Two New World allies of Eryx belong to the North 

 American genus Charina. The Rubber Boa, C. bot- 

 tce, looks like Eryx jaculus, having a stumpy tail and 

 small head. The scales are smooth and lustrous ; a full- 

 grown specimen is eighteen inches long. This snake is 

 uniform yellowish-brown or lead color above, and yellow 

 beneath. The range embraces the Pacific Coast region 

 of the United States and this pigmy boa seems to be 

 found farther into the temperate regions than any other 

 species of the Boidce; it occurs as far north as Oregon. 



The Family Ilysiidce contains a few burrowing species, 

 separated as follows: — Ilysia — 1 species, tropical South 

 America; Anomalochilus — 1 species, Sumatra; Cylin- 

 drophis — 3 species, southeastern Asia and Ceylon. 



Ilysia scytale, sometimes called the Coral Snake, 

 grows to a yard in length. It is of a gorgeous coral 

 red ringed with black. The natives often keep it as a 

 pet, twining it about their necks ; such specimens cannot 

 be induced to take food; after a suicidal fast of two or 

 three months they die of starvation. 



Among the species of the Ilysiidce there are vestiges 

 of the pelvis and the hind legs, the latter terminating 



