7S 



THE SNAKES OF SOUTH AFRICA. 



Fasting Powers, 



Pythons have been known to fast for two and a half years. I 

 have kept Pythons in captivity which Hved from six months to 

 a year and a half without food, I did not purposely starve them, 

 I offered them their natural food from time to time, but never 

 succeeded in inducing them to eat. I dare say those I kept 

 would have lived much longer, but I did not care to see the 

 creatures starve to death, so began feeding them artificially. I 

 must admit, however, that after a year and a half of starvation, 

 they did not appear to be much emaciated. Although snakes 

 can fast a long time, they will die, as a rule, after a month or 

 two if deprived of water, except during the winter months, when 

 they will frequently coil up in a warm corner of their cage and 

 lie dormant for three or four months. 



A Boa has been known to fast four years and one month, and 

 a Viper three years. 



Rudiments of Legs. 

 Most Pythons still retain traces of the legs their remote 



ancestors possessed, but 

 gradually lost, because 

 they did not use them 

 sufficiently. On exami- 

 nation, two horny spurs 

 will be found near the 

 vent, which are the ex- 

 ternal rudiments of hind 

 legs. Internally a por- 

 tion of the pelvis bones 

 still remain. Pythons 

 are doubtless the de- 

 scendants of huge pre- 

 historic lizard-like crea- 

 tures which lived upon 

 surface of the 

 millions of years 



BONES 



of the 



CLAW 



BONES 

 of the 

 CLAW 



Fig. 36. — Part of the flattened skin of a South African 

 Python showing the claws and bones which 

 indicate that the remote ancestors of Pythons 

 possessed legs. {From British Museum Guide. 

 Reptiles.) 



the 



earth 



ago. 



Stupid Indifference, 



Once I had a Python in captivity, and the perverse thing 

 would not eat. I introduced a big barn rat into its cage. The 



