THE VAST. 



The Penang Oasette of a late date says— "A 

 monster boa-constrictor [python] was killed one 

 morning this week by the overseer of convicts at 

 Bayam Lepas, on the road to Telo' Kumbar. 

 His attention was attracted by the squealing of 

 a pig, and on going to the place he found it in the 

 coils of the snake. A few blows from the chang- 

 kolf of the convicts served to despatch the reptile, 

 and, on uncoiling him, he was found to be twenty- 

 eight feet in length, and thirty-two inches in 

 girth. This is one of the largest specimens we 

 have heard of in Penang.'* 



Dr. Andrew Smith, in his "Zoology of South 

 Africa," records having seen a specimen of Python 

 Natahnoa, which was twenty-five feet long, 

 though ,-i portion of the tail was wanting. This 

 is the largest specimen I know of, actually meas- 

 ured in the flesh by a perfectly reliable authority ; 

 and even here the amount to be added to the 

 twenty-five feet can only be conjectured. 



It may be interesting to compare these state- 

 ments by setting them in a tabular form, indicat- 

 ing each specimen by some name that shall serve 

 to identify it, and adding a note of the degree of 



credit due to each. 



Feet. 



