2096 TIMEHRI. 
various travellers in the colony, as for instance by both . 
BROWN and SCHOMBURGK, as from 20-25 feet, WATER- 
TON even recording 30 feet ; but there is no statement 
of actual measurement. In the writer’s experience, the 
largest forms of this species, taken in the very distriéts 
referred to by the forementioned travellers, hardly ex- 
ceeded 14 ft., though when seen in the water they ap- 
peared to be considerably larger. A similar example 
may be found in the great Arapaima fish (Arapazma 
gigas), which is recorded as from 16-18;feet in length, 
while in reality they hardly attain to more than half 
that size. Aé€tual measurement is requisite in all such 
cases. 
Skins of the water boa, of from 18-25 ft. in length, 
are frequently obtained; and in the sheltered swamps, 
and along the creeks in the recesses of the forests, it may 
well be that considerably larger animals would be met 
with. The following experience along the higher Esse- 
quibo River tends to support this. In 1894, while pass- 
ing by a wide outgrowth of closely matted grass from 
the swampy bank, the boat disturbed an enormous snake, 
of which the head, neck and part of the body, were 
clearly seen at a distance of certainly not more than five 
feet. It was noticeable that the head was considerably 
more than twice as large as that of one of about 2o ft. 
and this seems to indicate a snake of very large propor- » 
tions. The unfortunate part of the matter is that snakes 
of very great size are most likely to be seen in places 
where it is out of the question to secure them, as it 
happened in this particular case. 
The body of the water boas is thick in proportion to 
its length, and cylindrical, owing to the strongly de- 
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