504 MESSRS. MOLE A.TSD URICH OK THE [Juue 19 , 



Boas soon know those who feed them and get exceedingly tame. 

 These snakes are very tenacious of life ; one which had been a long 

 time in captivity — eight or nine months, — during which it had 

 refused all food, had a hopeless cancer in the nose. It was deemed 

 necessary to kill it, but as the skin was wanted uninjured it was 

 resolved to strangle it, and a small rope was placed round its neck 

 and drawn as tightly as two men could pull it. It was then hung 

 up. At the end of two hours the snake was apparently dead. It 

 was placed in a sack and sent to the person who wanted it. Next 

 morning on being turned out of the sack it fiercely snapped right 

 and left, and it was some time before it could be secured. Yet 

 another instance. On April 9th, 1894, Mr. S. A. Cumberland 

 asked us to assist him in poisoning a large Boa, caught on April 5th 

 at St. Bartholomew Estate, Gruanapo. At 4.55 p.m. we injected 

 into the animal's mouth with a syringe half an ounce of prussic 

 acid. Beyond expelling the air from its lungs a little violently 

 the snake seemed uninjured. Mr. Mole was holding it at the 

 time, and it gave his leg round which it had coiled a squeeze which 

 lasted for about 15 seconds — had it lasted longer it would soon 

 have been unbearable. He had had considerable experience, but 

 never felt such tremendous pressure before, and had it been round 

 his chest he believed the result would have been serious — broken 

 ribs at least, if not worse. At 5.15 this poisoned snake crawled 

 round the room, curiously examining with its tongue tables, chairs, 

 hoxes, &c. It got into a corner amongst some broken furniture, 

 from which it was taken with considerable trouble. It coiled its 

 tail round a table-leg and was dislodged with difficulty. It then 

 seized with its tail a heavy chair which was carried with it into 

 the middle of the room, and it was some time before the chair 

 could be disengaged. There being no visible signs of an immediate 

 approach of death, 5 grains of strychnine were injected into its 

 throat at 5.30. This brought on a strong muscular contraction, 

 but still the animal did not knot up. At 5.45, when a gentleman 

 present went up to its head from behind to examine it, it made a 

 strong effort to turn round and strike but failed. A rope was 

 then tied to its neck and it was hung up, only about a foot of its 

 length being on the floor. At 5.50 all life was apparently extinct. 

 After it was hung up and all movement had ceased, it was 

 measured and found to be 10 feet 2| inches long. Of this length 

 the tail occupied ] 1| inches and the head 4 inches. Its girth was 

 14i inches. The weight was unfortunately not taken. 



BUNECTES MURINUS. 



This snake, known in Trinidad as the " Huilia," is the largest 

 reptile found in the island. Specimens have been frequently 

 killed 18 and 20 feet in length. It inhabits the rivers and lagoons 

 on the east coast and has been found, but less seldom, at Cedros 

 in the south-west portion. In shape it is very much like Epicnites 

 cenchris, its neck being the same size as its head. The eyes are 

 placed far forward and near the top of the head, so that it can lie 



