Proceedings of Iiuliana Annie tmj of Science. 



We had a big Reticulated pytlion which passed the hoofs of a pig. They 

 were shown to Dr. W. T. Hornaday. the Director of tlie New Yorlc ZofHog- 

 ical Park, who identified them as the lioofs of the Bornean wild pig (Kus 

 barbatus). of about forty pounds weight. A ship's captain in bringing over 

 a large Reticulated python, found in the excrement the quills of a Javan 

 porcupine, lying in the same relative position they occupied ou the animals 

 body. The reptile must have begun at the head, extending the coils back- 

 ward over the body, and pressing the quills down horizontally in their 

 natural state of rest. Evidently, this is a species of prey a snake would not 

 disgorge. 



Our small snakes feed largely on frogs, toads, and fish : the anacondas 

 feed extensively on fish; king snakes and king cobras eat other species of 

 snakes: but I have never known a boa or i)ython to take a cold-blooded ani- 

 mal. We often keep small snakes and iguanas with the boas and pythons, 

 but they never take any notice of them. In a state of nature their prey 

 consists largely of small deer and aideloix's. lambs, kids, pigs, other mam- 

 mals weighing less than a hundred pounds. ;iu(l any bird that may Ije large 

 enough to attract their attention. Tlial their ])rt'y iUn^s not always sub- 

 mit without a fight is shown from the luunber of broken ribs that are 

 found in the skeletons of these reptiles. 



We had an artistically mounted skeleton of a twenty-two foot Reticulated 

 python, in which there were thirty-seven ribs that showed well marked 

 fractures, and a number of others that showed indications of fracture. 

 Some of them had been broken two and even three times. In one, the 

 ends had slipped past each other for about a half inch, and the two 

 sides were knitted together. In one place there were five fractured ribs 

 in succession. A peculiar feature about these broken ribs is the fact that 

 they always occur toward the posterior quarters of the snake. It is 

 probable that the animal responsible for these fractures is the Bornean 

 wild pig. Doubtless the rei)ti!(> usually seizes the pig near the head and 

 throws his coils about the Nlioitblcrs. The posterior limbs are thus left 

 free, and with these he fights desperately till life is crushed out. frequently, 

 as is plainly evident, doing sericms damage to his assailant. 



In conformity to their attenuated form, snakes have a large number of 

 vertebrjo and ribs. A peculiarity of the skeleton is that there are but two 

 cervical vertebrae. The atlas and axis, or first and .second bones of the 

 spinal column, next to the head, licar no lih. but they start with the third 

 vertebra. Neither are there any lumbar or sacral vertebrae. In the 

 Reticulated python there are 3(51 vertebra. Of these. 2 are cervical, .37 

 caudal, and 322 dorsal. The caudal vertebra- all bear transverse processes, 

 the proximal ones long and broad, diminishing gradually toward the tip 

 of the tail, but they do not disappear, even in the last distal vertebra. It 

 may be that these are but ribs ankylosed to the vertebr^e. It is sometimes 

 difficult to distinguish just where the ribs end and the transver.se processes 

 begin. This is true of the Indian python. As already intimated, there 

 are 322 pairs of ribs. However, it is highly probable, at least possible, that 

 this number will not hold constant. Even in man there may be thirteen, 

 eleven, or as few as nine pairs. At least one human skeleton has been 

 known with twelve ribs on one side juid thirteen on the other. 



