60 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



was taken from its cage, and by reaching down its throat with a 

 pair of long forceps the curator was enabled to extricate the 

 smaller cobra. The victim exhibited signs of life, but only sur- 

 vived for a few moments. This specimen was mounted in forma- 

 lin, with hood spread, in the attitude assumed by the cobra when 

 about to strike, and hardened in that position. 



The big Ceylonese monitor, which has long been an important 

 member of the collection of lizards, was so inconvenienced by an 

 abnormal growth during the summer that it refused all food, and 

 fasted for two months. Curator Ditmars operated on the reptile, 

 which rapidly recovered, and its energetic and amusing egg-eat- 

 ing exhibitions are again a feature of the Reptile House. 



As is usual in a large collection of reptiles, eccentric and dor- 

 mant appetites are always to be cultivated. During the year sev- 

 eral of the big snakes were fed at regular intervals in a compul- 

 sory manner, and one of the Sumatran cobras was subjected to 

 the process of having three beaten eggs forced down its throat 

 every ten days. 



During the summer months, over two hundred terrapins, rep- 

 resenting four of the larger species, were liberated in the various 

 ponds of the Park, for the purpose of establishing an exhibit of 

 these creatures in a partially wild condition, and at the same time 

 to provide more living inhabitants for those small bodies of water. 

 They soon made themselves quite at home, and on sunny days 

 could be seen basking on the edges of the ponds, or upon rocks 

 and other objects projecting above the water. 



The condition of the collection of reptiles and amphibians on 

 December 31st, 1903, was as follows: 



Chelonia 32 species. 212 specimens. 



Crocodilia 2 " 30 " 



Lacertilia 13 " yy " 



Ophidia 40 " 218 



Amphibia 12 " 125 " 



99 " 662 



Received by gift ... .• 126 



Purchased 262 



Born 174 



Used for food, for snake-eating snakes 275 



210 turtles were purchased for distribution in the Park ponds. 



