276 CLASS xv. 



.Boa L. Head distinct from trunk, flat above, elongato- 

 cordate or oblongo-trigonal, obtuse at the apex, covered with 

 scales or anteriorly with scutes. Eyes moderate. Teeth in 

 intermaxillary bone none. Subcaudal scutes entire. Tail pre- 

 hensile. 



Sp. Boa constrictor L., SEBA Thesaur. i. Tab. 53, fig. i, MERR. Beitr. n. 

 Tab. I. Cuv. R. Ani., 6d. ill., Kept. PL 26, fig. 3; the head entirely 

 covered with scales, no pit in the marginal scutes of the upper lip. This 

 prettily coloured species, of which the name is in general use as that of a 

 gigantic snake, is, however, by no means the largest species of this family, 

 and seldom attains a length of more than 10 feet ; it bears on the east coast 

 of Brasil, according to the Prince MAXIMILIAN VAN WIED, the name 

 of Jiboya, as does also the Boa cenckria L., MAXIM. Abb. Lief, vi., which 

 climbs trees and never lives in water ; this species has scutes on the head and 

 little grooves at the margin of the upper jaw. The largest species, on the 

 contrary, is Boa murina L., Eunectes marinus WAGL., Boa aquatica MAXIM. 

 Abb. Lief, n, Boa aboma DAUD. Kept. v. PI. 62, fig. 2, PI. 63, fig. 2, which 

 attains a length of more than 20' ; it resides much in water, and, besides 

 fish, lives also on mammals that come to the banks of rivers to drink. 

 A very beautifully coloured species, blue-green with white bands, has 

 a compressed body : Boa canina L., (Xiphosoma caninum WAGL.), Mus. 

 Ad. Frid. Tab. 3, LAO. Quadr. ovip. et Serp. n. PI. 17, fig. i, GUER. 

 Iconogr., Kept. PL 19, fig. 2. All these species are found in South 

 America. There are also, however, some species in the eastern hemisphere ; 

 Boa carinata SCHN., Enygrus carinatus WAGL., from the island Amboyna 

 and New Guinea, and Enygrus Bibroni DUME"R. from the island Viti or 

 Fejee, with scales carinate and larger than in the other specias, where they 

 are usually very small. Also there is a Boa of the division or the 

 sub-genus Xiphosoma, and another species that lives in water from which 

 DOMERIL and BIBRON form their genus Pelophilus, which have been 

 observed on the Island of Madagascar. 



Note. On the divisions of this genus, to which almost 20 species belong, 

 into numerous sub-genera (Enygrus WAGL., Leptoiboa DUM., BIBR., Tropi- 

 dophis DUM., BIBR., Eunectes WAGL., &c.) compare DUM., BIBR. Erpetol. vi. 

 PP-474 5 66 - 



Platygaster DUM. and BIBK., Uroleptis FITZ. Head scutate, 

 conical, scarcely distinct from body. Scales carinate. Ventral and 

 subcaudal scutes broad. (Pits at lips none. Habitus of Coluber.) 



Sp. Boa pseudo-eryx nob., Platygaster multi carinatus DVM.. and BIBR., Tortrix 

 pseudo-eryx SCHLEGEL, Abbild. Tab. 34, New Holland. 



Python DAUD. (Spec, of Coluber L.) Teeth in intermaxillary 

 bone four. Head distinct from trunk, elongate, truncate, anteriorly 

 scutate, posteriorly often scaly. Tail prehensile, with all or most 

 of the scutes below in pairs. Scales small, smooth. 





