78 THE. SNAKES: OF SOUTH AFRICA. 
FASTING POWERS. 
Pythons have been known to fast for at least two years. I 
have kept Pythons in captivity which lived from six months to 
a year and a half without food. I did not purposely starve them. 
I offered them their natural food from time to time, but never 
succeeded in inducing them to eat. I dare say those I kept 
would have lived much longer, but I did not care to see the 
creatures starve to death, so began feeding them artificially. I 
must admit, however, that after a year and a half of starvation, 
they did not appear to be much emaciated. Although snakes 
will fast a long time, they will die, as a rule, after a few months 
if deprived of water, except during the winter months, when they 
will frequently coil up in a warm corner of their cage and lie 
dormant for three or four months. 
RUDIMENTS OF LEGS. 
Most Pythons still retain traces of the legs their remote 
ancestors possessed, but 
gradually lost, because 
they did not use them 
sufficiently. On exami- 
nation, two horny spurs 
will be found near the 
vent, which are the ex- 
ternal rudiments of hind 
legs. Internally a por- 
tion of the pelvis bone 
still remains. Pythons 
are doubtless the de- 
scendants of huge pre- 
historic lizard-like crea- 
tures which lived upon 
Fic. a5 aber of the flattened skin of a South African the surface of. + the 
ython showing the claws and bones which ae C 
indicate that the remote ancestors of Pythons earth millions of ry ears 
possessed legs. (From British Museum Guide. 
Reptiles.) ago. 
STUPID INDIFFERENCE. 
Once I had a Python in captivity, and the perverse thing 
would not eat. I introduced a big barn rat into its cage. The 
