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SNAKES. 203 
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them in a cone-shaped heap, and placed herself round and over 
them, hiding all from view, and rested her head on the top of the 
pile. ‘ 
The Python remained in this position, with an exception or 
two, for fifty-six days, when her young ones began to appear. 
Her temperature was carefully taken from time to time, and was 
always found to be considerably higher than the surrounding air. 
Of the fifteen eggs, eight were successfully hatched, the others 
being probably crushed or injured by the weight of the mother. 
During the incubation of her eggs, the Snake ate no food at all; 
but immediately before and after her brooding she consumed 
some raw meat. Between these two meals she fasted for more 
than four months. She drank water, however, during this period, 
several times. The young Pythons after shedding their sloughs, 
when about ten days old, constricted and swallowed some 
sparrows. 
The Indian Rock Snake is called the Adjigar by the Hindoos, 
and by other people it is often misnamed the Boa. Though 
known as the Rock Snake, it prefers, like our own Ringed Snake, 
the neighbourhood of water or marshy ground. There it finds 
in plenty the food upon which it lives. Dr. Giinther, in describ- 
ing the head-shields of P. molurus, says that it has “a pair of 
anterior and posterior frontals; several other small shields 
between the vertical and posterior frontals. The two anterior 
upper labials and four of the lower ones are pitted. Supra-orbital 
not divided ; the sixth upper labial is below the orbit, entering it. 
Scales small, in about sixty-five series round the middle of the 
trunk ; those of the outer series large, half the size of the ventrals. 
Ventrals, 242-262; anal, entire ; sub-caudals, 60-72. The ground- 
colour is light greyish-brown. A brown spot, shaped like the 
head of a lance, occupies the crown of the head and the nape ; its 
point rests on the frontals, but frequently it is truncated 
anteriorly, its extremity being on or behind the vertical, a light, 
medium streak divides its triangular portion into two. A dark 
brown streak runs from the nostril through the eye to behind 
the angle of the mouth, gradually becoming broader and 
confluent with another band running along the lower jaw. A 
sub-triangular brown spot below the eye. Back of the body and 
