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202 THE VIVARIUM. 
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black-edged, more or less sinuous cross-bars, which are usually 
connected by a continuous or interrupted sinuous dark stripe 
running along each side of the back; sides with large spots, and 
finely dotted with black; a large triangular dark brown blotch 
oceupies the top of the head, bordered on each side by a light 
stripe beginning at the end of the snout, above the nostril, and 
passing above the eye; a dark stripe on each side of the head, 
and a dark sub-triangular blotch below the eye; upper surface of 
tail with a light stripe between two black ones; belly spotted and 
dotted with dark brown.”’ 
This Snake is said to reach sometimes a length of 23ft. Its 
tail equals about one-ninth of its entire length. The reptile is a 
native of Tropical and South Africa, and many stories are told of 
its strength, activity, and voracity. Many of the statements, 
however, concerning it are greatly exaggerated. 
The Indian Rock Snake (P. molurus, see Fig. 62) is one 
of the hardiest members of its family, being able to endure a 
greater amount of cold than any of its relatives. It feeds very 
readily while in captivity; and there is no difficulty in obtain- 
ing specimens in England. Some of the larger dealers in animals 
always have this Snake in stock. One dealer has often as many 
as 300 of these Serpents on his premises at the same time. 
When one sees box after box literally full of Pythons of all 
sizes one naturally:asks what can possibly become of them all. 
The greater number are, no doubt, exported again to the Conti- 
nent. Some are disposed of to owners of menageries and to the 
authorities in charge of Zoological Gardens ; and only compara- 
tively few of them are purchased by private persons. 
Python molurus does not seem to be so easily tamed as its near 
relative of West Africa, P. sebw. The former species is famous 
because one of its female members was the first which proved in 
public, while an inmate of the Paris Zoological Gardens, that 
certain Snakes brood their own eggs. She naturally excited a 
_ great deal of interest among scientific and other people by her 
feat of successful incubation. On 6th May, 1841, this Snake, 
about three months after pairing, laid fifteen eggs, all separated 
one from another, and as large as those of an ordinary goose. 
They were covered with a white leathery envelope. She arranged 
