the Boa Constrictor takes its Prey. 217 



neck just under the ear, and was evidently exerting the strongest 

 pressure round the thorax of the quadruped ; thereby preventing 

 the expansion of the chest, and, at the same time, depriving the 

 anterior extremities of motion. The rabbit never cried after the 

 first seizure : — he lay with his hind legs stretched out, still breath- 

 ing with difficulty, as could be seen by the motion of his flanks. 

 Presently, he made one desperate struggle with his hind legs ; but 

 the snake cautiously applied another coil with such dexterity as 

 completely to manacle the lower extremities, and, in about eight 

 minutes, the rabbit was quite dead. The snake then gradually 

 and carefully uncoiled himself and finding that his victim moved 

 not, opened his mouth, let go his hold and placed his head oppo- 

 site to the fore part of the rabbit. The Hoa generally, I have 

 observed, begins with the head ; but, in this instance, the ser- 

 pent, having begun with the fore-legs, was longer in gorging his 

 prey than usual, and, in consequence of the difficulty presented 

 by the awkward position of the rabbit, the dilatation and secre- 

 tion of lubricating mucus was excessive. The serpent first got 

 the fore-legs into his mouth ; he then coiled himself round the 

 rabbit and appeared to draw out the dead body through his folds ; 

 he then began to dilate his jaws, and, holding the rabbit firmly in 

 a coil as a point of resistance, appeared to exercise, at intervals, 

 the whole of his anterior muscles in protruding his stretched jaws 

 and lubricated mouth and throat at first against, and soon after, 

 gradually upon and over his prey. The curious mechanism in the 

 jaws of serpents which enables them to swallow bodies so dispro- 

 portioned to their apparent bulk is too well known to need des- 

 cription ; but it may be as well to state that the symphysis of the 

 under jaw was separated in this case, and in others which I have 

 had an opportunity of observing. When the prey was completely 

 ingulphed, the serpent lay for a few moments with his dislocated 

 jaws still dropping with the mucus, which had lubricated the 

 parts; and, at this time, he looked quite sufficiently disgusting. 

 He then stretched out his neck, and, at the same moment, the 

 muscles seemed to push the prey further downwards. After a 

 few efforts to replace the parts, the jaws appeared much the same 

 as they did previous to the monstrous repast. 



