268 BOA - CONSTRICTOR KILLED. 



covey of red-winged partridges. We dismounted, and 

 walked about beating the bushes, when I suddenly noticed 

 that he was pointing at a small clump of bush ; he did 

 not stand as though it were a bird, but occasionally drew 

 his head back quickly. I called him away, fearing it 

 might be a poisonous snake or a leopard, and, approaching 

 the bush with caution, peeped through the branches, and 

 saw the thick body of an enormous boa-constrictor moving 

 very slowly away. I instantly sent a bullet through the 

 part of the body that I saw, and sprang back, when the 

 bushes were violently shaken as though the constrictor 

 thought this sudden attack was anything but satisfactory. 

 I now loaded the discharged barrel with a heavy dose of 

 buck-shot, and advanced to the bush. Holding my gun 

 out at arm's length, I pushed the branches gently on one 

 side to get a peep at my antagonist and see how he 

 liked what I had done. The snake was very artful, and 

 waited quite quietly until I stooped a little to get a better 

 view, when he darted out his head, making a sort of 

 lunge at me ; he opened his tremendous jaws as he came, 

 and then suddenly drew back. I stepped away quickly 

 to avoid this attack, and gave the boa my charge of buck- 

 shot between the eyes before he got out of sight. Turning 

 his head round, he seized his body with his fangs, gave a 

 wriggle, and died. 



His mode of attack gave me an insight into the method 

 by which this species of snake destroys animals. The teeth 

 of boa-constrictors being long, bent, and turned back, some- 

 thing in the fish-hook shape, the snakes dart out in the 

 manner I have just described, and seize hold of their prey. 



