244 



BOIDJE. 



Family III. BOID^E. 



Maxillaries, palatines, and pterygoids movable ; transpulatine 

 present ; pterygoids extending to quadrate or mandible ; supra- 

 temporal present, attached scale-like to the crauial walls, suspending 

 quadrate; prsef rentals forming a suture with nasals. Mandible 

 with corouoid bone' Teeth in jaws and on palate. Vestiges of 

 pelvis, formed of four elements, viz. ilium, pubis, ischium, and 

 femur ; the latter usually terminating in a claw-like spur visible 

 on each side of the vent. 



Fig. 73. Skull of Python retieulattig. 

 A. Upper view. B. Lower view. 



This family, which includes the largest JSnakes, is represented 

 all over the hotter parts of the globe. It may be divided into 

 three subfamilies : 



1. Pythonince. Prseinaxillary teeth and supraorbital bone present. 



2. Ghondropythonince. No prsemaxillary teeth; a supraorbital 

 bone. 



3. Boince. No praemaxillary teeth ; no supraorbital bone. 

 The first and third 'are represented in India. 



