154 THE SNAKES OF SOUTH AFRICA. 



down their throats and then putting them gently down, else 

 they \\dll vomit the food. The best way is to hold the snake 

 in j^'our hand for five minutes or so after feeding it, and then lay 

 it very gently down in a warm cage. 



Dead frogs and bits of raw meat may be pushed gently into 

 the snake's throat and worked down with the fingers. 



Boomslangs often descend to the ground to lay their eggs, 

 in a Starling's nest in a hole in a bank, or among the tangled 

 roots of a forest tree. At other times the eggs are placed in 

 the hollow interior of an old tree or in a deserted woodpecker's 

 nest. Warmth, and moisture are necessary for the incubation 

 of the eggs. On hatching out, the young Boomslangs almost 

 immediately take to an arboreal life and lead an existence 

 entirely independent of their parent. 



Some Boomslangs seldom descend to the ground, while others 

 are more or less terrestrial in their habits. This depends upon 

 the food supply and nature of the environment. For some con- 

 siderable time I had a Boomslang alive which was intermediary 

 between the variegated green and the dark-brown varieties. This 

 specimen was blackish above, through which traces of greenish- 

 yellow were visible in places. The " blackishness " on the back 

 shaded off on the sides and abdomen to yellowish green. The 

 specimen was a female, and laid thirteen eggs during the month 

 of October. 



On several occasions brown Boomslangs have laid batches 

 of eggs var3nng in number from a dozen to twenty-three, 

 containing a yellowish fluid, with no sign of incubation 

 having already begun. The eggs are laid during midsummer, 

 usually October, November, and December. On many occasions 

 I have noticed the Boomslangs, which I have kept in captivity, 

 swallow domestic pigeons' eggs whole. These eggs are not 

 crushed in the throat, as is the case with the Egg-eating Snake 

 {Dasypeliis). They lodge in the stomach and remain there until 

 the gastric juices dissolve the shell and release the contents, which 

 sometimes takes several days. Delicate shelled eggs are crushed 

 in the mouth and the contents allowed to flow down the throat. 



Conclusions. 

 The Boomslang is a member of the Opisthoglypha or Hind- 

 fanged snakes, which have hitherto been regarded by some 



