BOAS.- 



-REPTILES.- 



-GuiNEA Kocic Snake. 



55 



and lay quite tranquil, allowing themselves to be taken 

 out to be exhibited to the numerous spectators who 

 visited the menagerie. They appeared to be in a con- 

 tinual state of stupefaction, not paying the slightest 

 attention to anything that passed around them. Food 

 was given to them once in eight days, but even then 

 they were not always disposed to seize tbe animals 

 given to them, refused even to attack them for two or 

 three da3's, and sometimes were absolutely obliged to 

 be provoked to bite them. When they did attack them, 

 they always seized hold of them by their teeth, and 

 lla^^ng once secured their prey by plunging their 

 teeth into the poor creature's head, they twisted their 

 body in folds around it, and crushed it to death at once. 

 Having killed the animal, they licked it before they 

 began to swallow it, and made no liaste to execute this 

 operation, which, on the contrary, lasted sometimes 

 two or three hours. They always began with the head, 

 and the prey was evidently introduced into the gullet 

 by the efforts of all the muscles of the anterior part of 

 the body being brought into action simultaneously. 

 Tins action being repeated only at considerable inter- 

 vals, the process of deglutition occupies a pretty con- 

 siderable space of time. In the Zoological Journal 

 Mr. Broderip gives a very interesting account of tbe 

 method of these creatures' seizing, killing, and swal- 

 lowing their prey, as observed by him in the menagerie 

 of the Tower of London, but we must refer the 

 reader to the original. It is a curious fact in the 

 history of serpents that the Pythons place their eggs 

 in a group and cover them with their body,* as if 

 hatching them. This circumstance was first noticed 

 by IMr. Bennett in this countiy, who gives in his 

 account of it a figure of the snake on its eggs. 

 jVI. Lamare Picquet communicated this fact to the 

 Academy of Sciences in Paris, when the fact was also 

 verified in the Garden of Plants. A specimen of 

 Python was sent over by Mr. Kuhl, and placed in the 

 menagerie there. She laid fifteen eggs, collected 

 them together, and coiled herself round them in the 

 shape of a spiral cone, her head at the top, the eggs 

 Ijdng within. The temperature of the snake, it was 

 observed, was increased during the time, and she ate 

 nothing, but drank greedily, during fifty-six days. 

 Directly the young were born she left them to them- 

 selves, though she had never quitted the eggs during 

 the above period. 



THE ULAE-SAWA {Python rcctkulatus) is another 

 East Indian Python. This species is a native of the 

 continent of India, the island of Java, and Borneo. It 

 has often been confoimded with the preceding, and in 

 Java both are designated by the same name. It is 

 rather smaller, attaining to the length of from twelve 

 to sixteen feet, and the circumference of rather more 

 than a man's arm. Lacepede says it is one of the 

 most beautiful, and at the same time largest serpents 

 of the island of Java, and receives from the inhabitants 

 the name of Oular-Sawa (serpent of the rice fields), 

 because it prefers to make its dwelling in these places. 

 Its general length in such situations, he says, is about 

 nine feet ; but individuals which live in thickets in open, 

 elevated regions, attain a much larger size, and have 

 been compared to the height of a tree 1 Its chief food 



consists of mice, rats, and birds, but occasionally much 

 larger animals are made its victims. The predominat- 

 ing colours of this serpent are blue and yellow, or gold 

 and black. 



The African species of Python are equally remark- 

 able with those of India. 



THE GimiEA EOCK SNAKE (Hortulia Seha;), con- 

 sidered by some authors as a mere variety of the 

 preceding species, is pecuhar to Africa, especially the 

 west coast, and attains to a large size. Adanson 

 mentions having seen individuals in Senegal twenty- 

 two feet in length, and eight inches in circumference. 

 Two or three years ago a live specimen was to be seen 

 in the Zoological Gardens, Regent's Park, which was 

 estimated to weigh about a hundredweight. It is 

 remarkable for the brilliancy of its colours and the 

 lustre of its scales. The upper part of the body pre- 

 sents, on a yellow gi'ouud, a series of large rings of a 

 brown or black colour, edged with grayish-white, and 

 so placed as to form a sort of chain along the back. 

 This species of serpent has been described by several 

 travellers, who mention it as being held sacred by the 

 natives of the west coast of Africa. In the beginning 

 of last century, Bosman, a Dutch traveller, in his 

 description of the coast of Guinea, gives us a good 

 many details of the worship paid by the inhabitants 

 of that coast to this serpent. Dcsmarchais, a French 

 traveller, gives a somewhat similar account of this 

 serpent-worship amongst the natives of the kingdom 

 of Whidah. This serpent, he says, is one of the most 

 remarkable species that superstition has made a 

 divinity of. In the kingdom of Juida (Whidah), on 

 the west coast of Africa, it is very common, and altars 

 are erected for its worship. This pretended god, 

 which is called the Serpent Fetiche, which signifies 

 the Preserver, has as magnificent a temple erected 

 to it as can be made by the nide art of the Negroes. 

 It receives there the richest offerings : stuffs of silk, 

 trinkets, the best meats and drinks of the country, and 

 even herds of cattle. Thus the priests who serve it 

 enjoy a considerable revenue, possess immense lands, 

 and command a great number of slaves. In order 

 that nothing might be wanting for the gratification 

 of their pleasures, they force the priestesses, each year 

 about the time the maize begins to grow green, to 

 run all over the town of Juida and the neighbouring 

 villages. Armed with a thick club, and seconded by 

 the priests, they knock down without pity all who dare 

 to resist them, and force the most beautiful Negresses 

 to follow them into the temple. The load of super- 

 stitious credulity weighs so heavy on the head of the 

 Negroes, that these girls believe that they are going to 

 be honoured by the approach of the Protector Serpent, 

 and that it is to liis love they are to be given up. 

 Previous to the time for being admitted into the pre- 

 sence of the pretended deity, they are obliged to sub- 

 mit to a painful and barbarous ceremony, for cruelty 

 almost always springs from superstition. Their skin 

 in all parts of their body is stamped, by means of iron 

 bodkins, with figures of flowers and animals, especially 

 serpents. The priestesses thus consecrate them to the 

 service of tlieir god ; and it is in vain that the unfor- 

 tunate creatures utter the most plaintive cries in order 



