156 HOURS WITH NATURE. 



A typhlops looks uncommonly like an earthworm, but a 1 

 moment's careful observation will show that whereas the 

 body of an earthworm is segmented or composed of rings, 

 that of a typhlops is covered with minute scales. A few 

 years ago, some of these tiny ophidians found their way 

 into the system of pipes laid in the city of Calcutta for 

 the distribution of pure drinking water ; there, they bred 

 and multiplied and caused quite a scare among the inhabi- 

 tants, as they kept on dropping here and there from 

 Water taps. 



SOME LARGE SNAKES. 



The Python is the largest of all Indian snakes. It is 

 sometimes, but erroneously, called Boa constrictor^ which 

 is an American snake. Two species of pythons are found 

 in India and its dependencies, (i) the Rock snake, 

 (MoM or borachite) which grows to about 20 feet longj 

 and inhabits various parts of India, especially the Sunder- 

 buns, the forest clad slopes of the hills of Assam, the 

 Terais &c, (2) the Reticulated Python which is a much 

 larger snake, growing to about 30 feet in length, and 

 found in the forests of Burrnah, the Nicobars, the 

 Malay Peninsula arid the Archipelago. 



Fanciful stories are current about the length and 

 thickness of these snakes. Their power of seizing and 

 devouring large animals has also been much exaggerated. 

 A large python can seize and devour deer, goats, dogs, 

 and animals of that kind, but not a buffalo as shown in 

 picture books. It lies in wait quietly and patiently fot 



