SNAKES 12 



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Boas do not feed on other snakes, but when several 

 specimens are kept together in the same cage, two are 

 hable to seize upon their prey at opposite ends, with the 

 result that the smaller specimen is swallowed by the 

 larger. The following extract of an account of such an 

 occurrence has been given by A. D. Bartlett in the Proceed- 

 ings of the Zoological Society. 



" Since January last two fine examples of the Common 

 Boa (eleven feet and nine feet in length) have lived to- 

 gether on friendly terms in one of the large compartments 

 in the Reptile House. 



" The snakes are usually fed at dusk once a week, and, 

 on the evening of October 5, Tyrrell, the keeper of the 

 Reptile House, placed two pigeons in the den of the two 

 Boa Constrictors. The larger one seized one of the 

 pigeons, and no doubt swallowed it, after which the keeper 

 closed the house and left. On his return next morning he 

 was astonished to find only one Boa in the compartment 

 instead of two, and, from the enormously increased size 

 of the remaining one, he concluded at once that the larger 

 Boa had swallowed its companion. That this was so was 

 evident to all who visited the house. 



" The enormous enlargement of the creature's body was 

 remarkable. It had no longer the power of curhng itself 

 round, as snakes usually do, but remained extended nearly 

 its full length in a straight line, and appeared to be at least 

 three times its normal size in circumference. It was 

 almost painful to see the distended skin, which had 

 separated the scales all over the middle of the body. After 

 examining the snake, my expectation was that it would 

 ultimately disgorge its companion. Recalling to mind a 



