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AN EGG-EATING SNAKE DINING. 



Fig. 49. — Here we have a wonderful picture taken from life, the only known one of the kind in the world. 

 This is an Egg-eating Snake (Dasypdtis scabra) in the Port Elizabeth Museum. We placed an ostrich 

 egg before it, but it realized it was useless attempting to swallow it. We then (236) put a fresh fowl's 

 egg before it, and it at once proceeded to swallow it. 23C shows it getting the end into its mouth. 

 In 23D the egg is well on the road. Now comes the wonderful part, for, in the next picture, we see 

 the snake busy sawing the shell with those marvellous " teeth " mentioned in the text. In 23F the 

 shell is collapsing and the reptile is working its neck-muscles from side to side to crumple up the shell 

 in as small a space as possible, and at the same time squeezing the contents down its throat. 



IIO 



