468 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL KIHT. SOCIETY, Vol. XXI. 



, I am aware she appears to be generally alone during this period, I 

 have only once heard of her mate being seen anywhere near her, 

 and 1 have several records of pythons found lying up with eggs in 



jungle and being killed, and with one exception no mention has 

 been made of another snake being found close at hand. The eggs 

 are laid sometimes more or less in the open, the dam proving rather 

 a conspicuous object to the shikari. Sometimes the female retires 

 into a hole in a tree, beneath a fallen tree or in a termite's nest, 

 one in the latter situation having been found near Colombo some 

 years ago. Several interesting observations have been made during 



• the period of incubation. The dam's temperature during the event, 

 which happened in Regent's Park in 1881, was recorded several 

 times, and compared with that of a male in an adjoining cage. It 

 was always rather higher being about l°-4 to 3° Fahrenheit in 

 excess of the male.* In this case the female having once settled 

 herself around the egg remained there for six weeks without taking- 

 food, onl}^ leaving the eggs once for a few hours. In Paris too in 

 1841 it was reported that the dam refused food and drink during 

 the whole period which lasted 58 days. When the young were 

 hatching she drank about two tumblers of water. Her task ac- 

 complished it was noted that she took little or no notice of the 



young brood. 



Period of incubation. — Though several pythons have laid eggs in 

 captivity, in various Institutions, the eggs have frequently be^n 

 sterile, or when ^fertile for some cause have failed to hatch. In 

 Paris however in 1841 the incubation was brought to a successful 

 conclusion, the period being 58 days. The 15 eggs were laid on 

 the 6th of May, and on the 3rd of Jul)^ eight hatchlings emerged 

 out of the nine fertile eggs. (Giinther, Kept. Brit. Ind,, j). 330. I 

 have seen it stated elsewhere on the authority of Dumeril that 

 one hatched on the 3rd July, and eight more during the next four 

 daj^s.) 



* P.Z S. 1881, p. 960. 



