122 THE ANACONDO. 



This creature is rather variable in its coloring, the locality having probably some 

 influence in this respect. Generally it is rich chocolate-brown, with five dark streaks on 

 the top and sides of the head, a series of large and rather narrow dark rings along the 

 back, and two rows of dark spots on the sides. Sometimes a number of large spots 

 are seen on the back, and white streaks on the sides. In all the members of this 

 genus, the hinder limbs or " spurs "of the male are larger and stronger than in the female. 



ANOTHER American species, the DOG-HEADED BOA or BOJOBI (Xiphosbma coninum}, is 

 notable for the formidable armament of teeth which line the mouth, and the beautiful 

 green color of its skin. As is the case with all the Boidae, this species is only found in 

 in the hottest parts of the country, and is most plentiful in Brazil. It may be known 

 from the other species partly by its green color, partly by the deep pits on the plates 

 that edge the lips, and partly by the regular ring of scales that surrounds the eye. 

 This Snake is sometimes called the ARARAMBOYA. 



WE now come to the BOIGUACU or true BOA CONSTRICTOR, a title which is indiffer- 

 ently applied to all the family, and with some degree of appropriateness, inasmuch as 

 they all kill their prey by pressure or constriction. 



This magnificent reptile is a native of Southern and Tropical America, and is one of 

 those Serpents that were formerly held sacred and worshipped with divine honors. It 

 attains a very large size, often exceeding twenty feet in length, and being said to reach 

 thirty feet in some cases. It is worthy of mention, that before swallowing their prey, 

 the Boas do not cover it with saliva, as has been asserted. Indeed, the very narrow 

 and slender forked tongue of the Serpent is about the worst possible implement for 

 such a purpose. A very large amount of this substance is certainly secreted by the 

 reptile while in the act of swallowing, and is of great use in lubricating the prey, so 

 as to aid it in its passage down the throat and into the body, but it is only poured up- 

 on the victim during the act of swallowing, and is not prepared and applied beforehand. 



The dilating powers of the Boa are wonderful. The skin stretches to a degree which 

 seems absolutely impossible, and the comparison between the diameter of the prey and 

 that of the mouth through which it has to pass, and the throat down which it has to 

 glide, is almost ludicrous in its apparent impracticability, and unless proved by frequent 

 experience, would seem more like the prelude to a juggler's trick than an event of 

 every day occurrence. To such an extent is the body dilatable, that the shape of the 

 animal swallowed can often be traced through the skin, and the very fur is visible 

 through the translucent eyes, as th dead victim passes through the jaws and down the 

 throat. 



There is a popular idea among the inhabitants of the country in which the Boa 

 lives, that if it attacks a man in a forest, he may possibly escape by slipping round a 

 tree in such a manner that the Serpent may squeeze the trunk of the tree, mistaking it 

 for the body of the man, and so burst itself asunder by the violence of its efforts. 

 Whether any one has escaped by this rather transparent device is not mentioned. 



The color of the Boa Constrictor is rich brown, and along its back runs a broad 

 chain of large blackish spots of a somewhat hexagonal shape, and of pale white spots 

 scooped at each end. These dark and pale spots are arranged alternately and form a 

 really pretty pattern, and should the colors be faded, as is always the case when the 

 skin has been renewed, the species may be recognized by the arrangement of the scales 

 round the eyes, which are set in a circle, are thirty in number, and are separated from 

 the scales of the lips by two rows of smaller scales. 



AN equally celebrated Snake, the ANACONDO, is also figured in the illustration on 

 page 123. 



This gigantic serpent is a native of Tropical America, where it is known under several 

 names, La Culebra de Agua, or Water Serpent, and El Traga Venado, or Deer-Swal- 

 lower being the most familiar. The flesh of this Serpent, although firm and white, is 

 seldom if ever eaten by the natives, although the flesh of Serpents is considered a delicacy 

 by many nations. Within the body is a large amount of fat from which can be ob- 

 tained a very considerable quantity of oil. This oil is thought to be a specific for many 



