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merely necessary to take it by the tail. The snake 

 moves slowly, and should it attempt to turn on 

 you, you should walk round so that the body is 

 once more in a straight line, and pull it by the tail 

 (of course it requires a large open space if this 

 method of capture is attempted). By keeping up 

 a slight pull, the snake is unable to turn, as in 

 order to turn round, the reptile has to move its 

 ventrals forward, which act almost like paddles 

 against the ground, and a backward pull naturally 

 counteracts this. 



A python should not be allowed to coil round 

 anything from which it cannot be easily unwound. 

 A ten foot specimen of mine once escaped and 

 wound round a beam near the roof. Four men 

 pulled on its tail for twenty minutes without any 

 effect, but I eventually caught it by a lucky grab 

 behind the neck, and by persistent poking the men 

 made it unwind. 



Pythons are among the few snakes that ever 

 breed successfully in captivity, and this is due to 

 the fact that they incubate their eggs by coiling 

 round them. Probably this habit is more with an 

 object of protection than for purposes of incubation, 

 as the eggs of the python are large enough to 

 catch the eye of the mongoose and other egg-eating 

 mammals and birds. 



The most suitable snakes for taming are those 

 of sluggish disposition, and are not of nervous 

 temperament. 



Nocturnal snakes are easier to tame than 

 those that come out in the daytime. 



The best snakes for taming purposes are the 

 following : — 



(i) Tropidonotus Stolatus, (2) Trimeresurus 

 sTnakerfor Trigonocephalus, (3) Python Molurus, (4) Dipsas 

 Taming. Ceyloncnsis, and D. Forstenii, (5) Coluber Helena, 

 (6) Dryophis Pulverulentus, (7) Dendrophis Pictus. 



The most 

 suitable 



