PYTHONS AND BOAS. 183 



entirely on mammals and birds, the hairs and feathers offer a considerable impedi- 

 ment to the passage down the throat. The process of deglutition is, therefore, slow, 

 but it would be much slower except for the great quantity of saliva discharged 

 over the body of the victim. During the time of digestion, especially when the 

 prey has been a somewhat large animal, the snake becomes very lazy ; it moves 

 itself slowly when disturbed, or defends itself with little vigour when attacked. 



AFRICAN PYTHON SWALLOWING A BIRD (| nat. size). 



At any other time the rock-snakes will fiercely defend themselves when they 

 perceive that no retreat is left to them. Although individuals kept in captivity 

 become tamer, the apparent tameness of specimens brought to Europe is much 

 more a state of torpidity caused by the climate than an actual alteration of their 

 naturally fierce temper." In their general habits snakes of this genus are 

 nocturnal, and they generally live on or among trees in the neighbourhood of 

 water, frequently swimming in the water. The reticulated python (P. reticulatus) 

 of Burma and the Malayan Archipelago, which attains a length of some 16 feet, 



