60 NEW © YORK + ZOOLOGICAL {SOGCIETY. 
was taken from its cage, and by reaching down its throat with a 
pair of long forceps the curator was enabled to extricate the 
smaller cobra. The victim exhibited signs of life, but only sur- 
vived for a few moments. This specimen was mounted in forma- 
lin, with hood spread, in the attitude assumed by the cobra when 
about to strike, and hardened in that position. 
The big Ceylonese monitor, which has long been an important 
member of the collection of lizards, was so inconvenienced by an 
abnormal growth during the summer that it refused all food, and 
fasted for two months. Curator Ditmars operated on the reptile, 
which rapidly recovered, and its energetic and amusing egg-eat- 
ing exhibitions are again a feature of the Reptile House. 
As is usual in a large collection of reptiles, eccentric and dor- 
mant appetites are always to be cultivated. During the year sev- 
eral of the big snakes were fed at regular intervals in a compul- 
sory manner, and one of the Sumatran cobras was subjected to 
the process of having three beaten eggs forced down its throat 
every ten days. 
During the summer months, over two hundred terrapins, rep- 
resenting four of the larger species, were liberated in the various 
ponds of the Park, for the purpose of establishing an exhibit of 
these creatures in a partially wild condition, and at the same time 
to provide more living inhabitants for those small bodies of water. 
They soon made themselves quite at home, and on sunny days 
could be seen basking on the edges of the ponds, or upon rocks 
and other objects projecting above the water. 
The condition of the collection of reptiles and amphibians on 
December 31st, 1903, was as follows: 
@lvel oma is 0655 2 otlerea arate 32 species. 212 specimens. 
Crocodilia oi acetone Bo Wet 30 + 
Lacertilia: ps ituiis ahlieeaats Tsar PA 77 e 
Opltidiay «\..- cee ast AD. 38 218 af 
Ait phils tsiccy. aja geet dS dade TB ei sr" 125 % 
OO is 662 zt 
Received day .eittte yociade gee es 126 
Purehaséd 3s 34 tes pices BE osha 5 oS RUE eek 262 
BOE. sic fit Ait recat IS A Ce Le eee enemas 174 
Used for food; tor*snaketeatinevcnakesaa. ea. oe 275 
210 turtles were purchased for distribution in the Park ponds. 
