THE PYTHONS AND BOAS 



2549 



however, be mentioned, its habitat ranging from Costa Rica to the northern dis- 

 tricts of Peru and Brazil. The figured species, which attains a length of about five 

 feet, is either pale brown above with dark olive-brown spots separated by narrow 

 intervals from one another, or brown with wavy or zigzag yellowish cross bands, not 

 unfrequently margined with blackish brown. Each side of the head usually has a 

 more or less distinct streak behind the eye; the under parts are pale olive or yellow- 

 ish, more or less spotted with brown or black. 



STREAKED TREE BOA. 



(One-fifth natural size.) 



Closely allied to the last, the five species of the genus Corallus are 

 Tree Boa distinguished by having deep pits in the labial shields of both the 

 upper and lower lips. The body is compressed, with small smooth 

 scales, and the prehensile tail is either short or more or less elongated. This genus 

 has a somewhat remarkable distribution, four of its representatives being inhabitants 

 of tropical America, while the fifth (C. madagascariensis} , which is distinguished 

 from the rest by the shortness of its tail, is restricted to Madagascar. The dog- 

 headed tree boa (C. caninus} is a native of the Guianas and Brazil, and usually 

 attains a length of some five feet, although it may be considerably larger. It 

 belongs to a group of two American species distinguished from the other kinds 



