EPIDERMAL APPENDAGES, 339 



crimson rings. The African viper and her young one baffle 

 the artist's palette in their prismatic hues, as do several other 

 of the horned snakes. Indeed, for rich colourings the 

 venomous kinds rather carry the day. The forni^ it is true, 

 is often clumsy and ungraceful in the vipers, but as an ex- 

 ception we have ' vipera clegans^^ and others of less ugly 

 and slighter forms. 



Since the subject was thus presented to us, I have, how- 

 ever, observed the markings more closely; and it really is 

 curious as well as interesting to note how very nearly the 

 various patterns approach to a perfectly geometrical design, 

 yet failing in the same manner that a bad workman would 

 fail in imitating the pattern given him to copy. 

 ' To Dr. Stradling I am indebted for a very handsome 

 boa skin from Brazil. Spread upon the carpet it is like 

 a piece of oilcloth, and at the first glance I exclaimed, 

 ' Even Mr. Ruskin could not disapprove of this.' But on 

 closer inspection one was obliged to admit ' disorder ' 

 throughout. The skin is about ten feet long, and the 

 whole way down the centre of the back runs a pattern 

 which an accomplished artificer would thus represent. 



There is evident intention of two straight lines with points 

 at equal distances, a very pretty centre of rich brown, picked 

 out with darker shades and spots of white. Throughout 

 the entire ten feet of skin most of the points and intermediate 



