I 



447 



A POPULAR TREATISE ON THE COMMON INDIAN 



SNAKES. 



Illustrated by Coloue^ed Plates and Diagrams. 



BY 



Major P. Wall, I.M.S., C.M.Z.S. 

 Part XVII with Plate XVII. 

 (Continued from ■page 19 of this Volume.') 



As already stated in a previous paper (No. XVI of this Series), 

 the boas and pythons are grouped together in a single family 

 (Boidce). They agree in possessing rudimentary hind limbs, but 

 the pythons are grouped together in a distinct sub-family 

 (Fytlionnice) characterised by the presence of a bone (the supra- 

 orbital) which contributes largely to the roof of the orbit. In the 

 boas on the other hand the roof of the orbit is formed as in colu- 

 brines, and most other snakes entirely by a lateral expansion of 

 the frontal bone. The sub-family Pyihonnice comprises seven 

 genera of which one only, viz., Python is represented in our Indian 

 Dominions. 



The genus P ython of which our Indian molurus, and the Papu- 

 asian amethystinus are the types, includes nine species distributed in 

 Africa (sebce, anchietce, and 7-egius), Malaya (timorensis, reticidatus, 

 curtus), Australia {spilotes), Papuasia (amethystiyius) and Asia 

 (molurus and reticidatus). The two latter occur within Indian 

 limits, and are dealt with in this paper. 



Python molurus (LiNNE). 



The Indian Python. 



History. — Pythons were well known to the ancients, and pro- 

 bably it was the Indian molurus among others with which they 

 were acquainted. In scientific literature the first certain allusion 

 to our common Indian species, is by Linne who described it 

 under the name Coluher molurus in 1766. In 1796 Russell figured 

 it no less than four times in his first volume (Plates XXII, XXIII, 

 XXIV, and XXXIX). 

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