SNAKES. 187 
the sea. ‘‘The head and tail appeared to have a length beyond 
the coils of about 30ft.”” I dare not venture to say that there is 
no such animal as that called the ‘‘ Great Sea-Serpent,”’ for there 
may be, somewhere in the ocean, a few representatives of those 
creatures which we know as ‘‘extinct gigantic Reptiles,” and 
whose fossil remains are now occasionally found. If the animal 
were nocturnal in its habits, we should naturally expect it to be only 
very rarely seen. When people declare that they have met with 
such a beast, we have no right, I think, to take for granted that 
they have been mistaken in what they thought they saw. Ap- 
parently trustworthy men have affirmed repeatedly that a certain 
beast known as the ‘‘ Sea-Serpent”’ has been observed by them: 
However, I believe that it may safely be considered very doubt- 
ful whether a Serpent possessing a length of 40ft. exists or 
whether it ever did. 
Nearly every large constricting Snake is popularly known as 
a Boa Constrictor, whereas the true Boa Constrictor is a small 
animal compared with some of the larger Pythons, hardly ever 
exceeding a length of 12ft., and is confined to South America. 
The Python is not found in America at all, but is a native of 
the tropical and sub-tropical parts of the Old World and Australia. 
The largest, perhaps, of all the Bode is the Anaconda (Eunectes 
murinus), a native of the Guianas, Peru, and Brazil, especially in 
the neighbourhood of the River Amazon. It is said to attain a 
length of more than 30ft. 
Not only are the representatives of this family the most in- 
telligent of all Snakes, but some are also very beautifully marked. 
Many of them, when properly cared for, do exceedingly well in 
confinement, living thus for a great number of years. 
Those who intend to keep in captivity one or more of these 
large Snakes ought, of course, to prepare a Vivarium suitable for 
Reptiles of their size and strength. The case may be made some- 
what similar to those represented by Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 (see 
pages 9 and 11), but the framework must be very strong, 
and glazed with stout plate-glass. The Vivarium should be at 
least as long as the length of the Snake or Snakes it is intended 
to contain, and built according to the proportions already 
suggested. But if expense be no object, it will be wise to have a 
