ANACONDA AND ANGUIS FRAG I LIS. 45 7 



for the production of her progeny, retards the deposition of 

 her eggs or her young. 



Let us picture to ourselves the condition of this poor 

 Anaconda. Just at the very time when instinct would have 

 guided her to the spot most favourable for the coming brood, 

 she is transferred from her native lagoons, and crowded into 

 a dark close box just large enough to contain her. Though 

 without water for many months, this 'good swimmer' arrives 

 alive, a proof of her astonishing powers of endurance ; but 

 she has now no morass, no lagoon or refreshing river in 

 which to invigorate herself and aid her natural functions, 

 and the young ones die unborn. The poor mother soon 

 showed evidence of disease and suffering, and was after a 

 time mercifully put to death. 



There was no possibility of ascertaining the period of 

 gestation in her case, but there was every reason to regard 

 it as one of postponed functions, and another illustration 

 of that astonishing capability described by ophiologists of 

 snakes which 'may at pleasure,' i.e. at will, retard the laying 

 of eggs or birth of young ! 



The prejudice against snakes has been so strong, that 

 there are persons who would even exclude them from zoo- 

 logical collections. Should these pages fall under the eye 

 of such persons, they must admit that the Ophidia in cap- 

 tivity present grand opportunities towards the attainment 

 of scientific knowledge. These important results far out- 

 weigh the less pleasing spectacles. 



And now for our little Angnis fragilis, with all her 

 wrong names and the wrong impressions produced thereby. 



