SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT. 149 
at the base of the head, and by means of an osteological prepara- 
tion, as a guide, the junction of the various bones was accurately 
located, the diseased bone unhinged, liberated from the sur- 
rounding muscular tissue, and pulled back through the opening. 
Following the removal of the bone the infected center was cauter- 
ized with formalin, the incision closed with very fine silk sutures 
and the moist dressing replaced. 
The operation was in every way successful and the snake con- 
tinues on exhibition. 
With the breeding of specimens, the Reptile Department has 
been very successful. The following species of snakes have been 
born and successfully reared in the Reptile House: Diamond- 
Backed Rattlesnake, Banded Rattlesnake, Texas Rattlesnake, 
Copperhead Snake, Water Moccasin, Blacksnake, Chicken 
Snake, Bull Snake, four species of Water Snakes, Garter Snake, 
Ribbon Snake, Dekay’s Snake, Marcy’s Garter Snake and Boa. 
In the Reptile House are two generations of Water Mocca- 
sins that have been bred in captivity. The majority of the spe- 
cies mentioned are viviparous snakes, bringing forth the young 
alive. The eggs of the oviparous species when deposited were 
simply placed in damp sand, and kept at the regular temperature 
of the Reptile House. With few exceptions, these hatched within 
periods of from six to eight weeks after being laid. Several 
unique broods were brought forth by the viviparous snakes. One 
of these consisted of 62 young from a large Banded Water Snake 
(Natrix fasciata sipedon), a family so numerous that it literally 
overran the cage in a writhing mass of brightly colored bodies. 
The other brood referred to was from a common Garter Snake 
(Thamnophis sirtalis), numbering twenty-seven normal young, 
three albinos, and a strange offspring with two perfectly devel- 
oped heads. The former were perfectly white and translucent. 
When held between a strong light and the eye, their internal or- 
gans could be distinctly located, and the beating of their hearts 
was visible. Their eyes were pink and brilliant. They fed read- 
ily, but only lived for a few weeks. The two-headed individual 
never fed, and lived only a few hours. The remainder of the 
brood attained maturity. 
During the breeding of specimens in the Reptile House, sev- 
eral observations relating to the growth of reptiles have been 
made which are quite new. It has previously been the suppo- 
sition that the growth of the Alligator was very slow. As an il- 
lustration of this idea, the writer quotes the following by Dr. 
Hugh M. Smith, of the United States Fish Commission, in Pro- 
