238 THE TOWER MENAGERIE. 
no proportion to their means of gratifying it, as a full 
meal is uniformly succeeded by a state of torpor, which 
frequently lasts for a month or six weeks, or, during the 
cold season, even for a longer period. 'Those in the 
Tower, which are kept in a state of artificial warmth, 
usually feed about every five or six weeks, and a fowl or 
a rabbit generally suffices for a meal. ‘These are held 
by the keeper within view of the serpent to ascertain 
whether he is inclined to take his prey or not. About 
three years ago Mr. Cops, while thus engaged in offering 
a fowl to one of the Boas, had nearly met with a serious 
accident; the snake, which was almost blind from the 
approaching change of its skin, missing the fowl, and 
seizing upon the keeper’s thumb instead, around which 
and its own head it instantaneously threw two coils, and 
then, as if surprised at the unexpected resistance, cast 
an additional fold round his neck, and fixed itself by its 
tail to one of the posts of its cage in such a manner as 
nearly to throttle him. His own exertions, however, 
aided by those of the under keepers, at length disen- 
gaged him from his perilous situation ; but so determined 
was the attack of the snake that it could not be compelled 
to relinquish its hold until two of its teeth had been 
broken off and left in the thumb. 
