THE KOMANCE OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



from the body. I have had some experience in 

 skinning serpents, and am therefore aware of the 

 extent to which the skin, when dragged off by 

 force, is capable of stretching : one-fourth of the 

 entire length may not unfairly be deducted on 

 this account. But even with this allowance, we 

 must admit, unless we reject the testimony of 

 sober historians, who could hardly have been 

 mistaken so grossly as to warrant such rejection, 

 that serpents did exist in ancient times which far 

 exceeded the limits that have fallen under the 

 observation of modern naturalists. 



There is a well-known picture by Daniell, repre- 

 senting an enormous serpent attacking a boat's 

 crew in one of the creeks of the Ganges. It is a 

 graphic scene, said to have been commemorative 

 of a fact. The crew had moored their boat by the 

 edge of the jungle, and, leaving one of the party 

 in charge, had gone into the forest. He lay down 

 under the thwarts, and was soon asleep. During 

 his unconsciousness an enormous python emerged 

 from the jungle, coiled itself round the sleeper, and 

 was in the act of crushing him to death, when 

 his comrades returned. They succeeded in killing 

 the monster, "which was found to measure sixty- 

 two feet and some inches in length." This seems 

 precise enough; but we should like to know 

 whether the measurement was made by the Las- 

 cars themselves, or by any trustworthy European. 



A correspondent of the Edinburgh Literary 

 Gazette has told, with every appearance of life- 

 truth, a thrilling story of an encounter which he 

 had with an enormous boa on the banks of a 

 river in Guiana. Awaked, as he lay in his boat, 

 by the cold touch of something at his feet, he 

 found that the serpent's mouth was in contact 

 with them, preparing, as he presumed, to swallow 

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