208 THE VIVARIUM. 
side of the head behind the eye, lower parts whitish, spotted 
with black.” This snake is said to sometimes attain a length of 
33ft. It comes from the tropical parts of South America, espe- 
cially the neighbourhood of the River Amazon. 
The Common Boa (Bow constrictor) is one of the most hone 
as well as one of the most intelligent of all Snakes. Because of 
its colouring it has been called Constrictor formosissimus and Con- 
strictor rex-serpentum. In this country it is sometimes known as 
the “King Snake” and also as the ‘‘ Harlequin Snake.” Un- 
fortunately the Boa is not quite so hardy as some of its family ; 
but with care it lives for a long time in captivity, and when 
kindly treated and frequently handled it becomes quite tame, 
and, sometimes, shows no little affection for its owner. In 
support of this statement I venture to make a rather long quota- 
tion from the late Professor Romanes’ book on “‘ Animal Intel- 
ligence.”’ 
“The following interesting observation on the intelligence of 
Snakes shows, not only that these animals are well able to dis- 
tinguish persons, and that they remember their friends for a 
period of at least six weeks, but also that they possess an in- 
tensity of amiable emotion scarcely to be expected in this class. 
Clearly the Snakes in question were not only perfectly tame, but 
entertained a remarkable affection for those who tended and 
petted them. The facts were communicated to me by Mr. 
Walter Severn, the well-known artist, who was a friend of Mr. 
and Mrs. Mann, the gentleman and his wife to whom the Snakes 
belonged. Mr. and Mrs. Mann having got into trouble with 
their neighbours on account of the fear and dislike which their 
pets occasioned, legal proceedings were instituted, and so the 
matter came before the public. Mr. Severn then wrote a letter 
to the Times, in order to show that the animals were harmless. 
From this letter the following is an extract : 
‘““*T happen to know the gentleman and lady against wise a 
complaint has been made because of the Snakes they keep, and I 
should like to give a short account of my first visit to them. 
Mr. M., after we had talked for a little time, asked if I had any 
fear of Snakes: and after a timid ‘‘No, not very,’’ from me, he 
produced out of a cupboard a large Boa constrictor, a Python, and 
