ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



631 



South America abound with crocodilians, and 

 of these we have exhibited three species, 

 namely the Black Caiman, (Caiinau nigcr), 

 the Spectacled Caiman, ( C. sclera ps ) , and the 

 LJroad-Headed Caiman, (C. latirostris). From 

 South America and from Central America we 

 have received several examples of the large 

 American Crocodile, (Crocodiliis a/iuvicaiiiis) . 



INDIAN AND MALAYAN REl'TILES. 



India, with its strong atmosphere of 

 mvstery, appeals to us with a fascination all 

 its own ; hence, the oriental reptiles are par- 

 ticularly interesting. The works of Kipling 

 and tales of travel in India and the Malay 

 Archipelago have prompted our visitors to 

 make many queries concerning the reptilian 

 fauna of these regions, and we have sought to 

 [)repare a general answer in the shape of an 

 exhibit of the representative scaly creatures 

 that excite especial interest. This has been 

 no moderate task, and it is never-ending. 



Among the oriental creatures two types of 

 reptiles are the most eagerly looked for. These 

 are the giant constricting serpents of India, 

 the Malay Peninsula and the great islands, 

 and the poisonous snakes. The former are 

 not so difficult to obtain, as they are im- 

 ported for speculative purposes by the com- 

 manders of the big East Indian freighters 

 plying between America and the Far East. 



C.VLIFORNIA NEWT. 



Such snakes as are well cared for on their 

 three-months' journey usually arrive in Amer- 

 ica in good condition. Yet, it is difficult to 

 obtain really large specimens, and a large spe- 

 cimen means a snake about twenty-four feet 

 in length. It is about once in two years that 

 a reptUe actually this size arrives in our home 

 ports. 



The question of obtaining the poisonous 

 serpents is much more serious. With the ex- 

 ception of representatives of a single species, 

 we have been unable to purchase any Indian 

 poisonous snakes in four-years' time. A 

 personal canvass of the animal markets of 

 Great Britain and the Continent revealed the 

 some scarcity that exists here. Fortunately, we 

 have had excellent luck with our Indo-Malayan 

 poisonous reptiles. We have had no losses 

 among them in the past three years. Of these 

 important reptiles we have fine specimens of 

 the Cobra-de-Capello, showing two phases of 

 Xaja tripndians, namely the Spectacled Cobra, 

 or typical phase, and the Masked Cobra, [N. t. 

 sciiiifasciata) , of Borneo, Java and Sumatra. 

 The former, with its brilliant "hood" mark- 

 ings is the most spectacular, and it always re- 

 mains so. The specimens that have been with 

 us for the past nine years are just as vicious as 

 thev were upon arrival. A slight jar upon 

 their cage-door or the movement of a hand 

 sends them rearing into their dramatic post- 

 ures from which they frenziedly strike, upon 

 the least provocation. Our 

 magnificent specimens of the 

 King Cobra, Xaja bungarus, 

 two in number, are familiar 

 among many thousands of 

 visitors from various parts 

 of this country and Europe. 

 These snakes are fed every 

 Simdax' morning, each con- 

 suming a freshly killed ser- 

 pent about four feet long. 

 They are strictly cannibal- 

 istic and will eat nothing 

 but other serpents, receiving 

 food only at intervals of 

 seven days. While poison- 

 ous snakes generally are 

 delicate and short-lived as 

 captives, it is a remarkable 

 fact that the cobras and all 

 of their immediate allies are 

 to be rated among the most 

 hardy of the inmates of a 

 reptile house. Among these 

 snakes disposition ranges 

 to extremes. The Cobra- 



