i6o 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



AFRICAN ROCK PYTHON. 

 Of docile nature, and often seen in travelling shows 



neck looped fantastically in the air in support of 

 the hostile head which poises to strike, an angry 

 tree boa appears far removed in classification 

 from its ponderous allies of the family Boidae. 



Owing to their secretive habits the other boas 

 in the collection are not frequently seen by visitors. 

 One of the most interesting specimens is a Sand 

 Boa, (Eryx jacidus), from Egypt. This species is 

 sometimes known as the "Two-Headed" Snake, 

 owing to the bluntness of its tail, which so closely 

 resembles the head that the two extremities might 

 for the moment be mistaken for one another unless 

 the reptile be closely examined. The Hindoos 

 practice a deception with this creature by painting 

 a mouth and eyes on its blunt tail, and exhibiting it 

 as a reptile with two independent heads, explaining 

 that while one sleeps the other watches, to pro- 

 tect the eccentric creature from harm. In its 

 habits the Sand Boa is subterraneous, digging its 

 way into loose sand, or following the burrows of 

 the small mammals upon which it feeds. It sel- 

 dom attains a length of more than two feet, and 

 its colors are dull and few, to match the soil in 

 which it lives. Seven species of the genus are 

 known, and all are confined to the Old World 



The diminutive Rubber Boa, {Charina hotlae), 

 an inmate of the Reptile House, but seldom visible 



to the visitor, is yet a smaller member of the 

 Boidae than the African species. This pigmy 

 burrowing constrictor appears to extend its range 

 farther into the temperate regions than any other 

 species of the Family. It inhabits the Pacific Coast 

 region of the United States, and is even found as 

 far north as Oregon. It is pale gray in color and 

 very cylindrical in form, with a small, blunt head, 

 not at all distinct from the neck. Captive speci- 

 mens feed upon very small rodents, and unless 

 provided with fine dry sand, in which they can 

 burrow, live but a short time. The average length 

 of a mature specimen is about eighteen inches. 



The Subfamily Pythoninae of the Boidae con- 

 tains as great a variety of forms as exists in the 

 Boinae. This group contains the largest species 

 of the great constricting snakes, several of which 

 attain a length of slightly over twenty feet, .as ac- 

 tually demonstrated by the measurements of va- 

 rious captive specimens. Undoubtedly the largest 

 species of serpent now living is the Regal or Retic- 

 ulated Python, {Python reticulatiis), which attains 

 a length of at least twenty-four feet, and possibly 

 greater dimensions. This splendid serpent is well 

 represented in the Reptile House by five specimens, 

 two of which are over twenty feet in length, and 

 weigh nearly two hundred pounds each. Pes- 



