214 Zoologica: N. Y. Zoological Society [I; H 



the unbroken fast of a specimen of Python reticulatus, that continued 

 through a period of eleven months, and another that covered thir- 

 teen months' time. Both of these snakes commenced feeding volun- 

 tarily and were strong enough to perfectly assimilate their food. In 

 the prolonged fasting of exceptionally valuable examples, the writer 

 has often resorted to force-feeding. In the compulsory feeding of 

 a python about twenty feet in length the writer kills four medium- 

 sized rabbits, removes the skin, then ties the animals together, the 

 hind legs of one to the neck of another; brown twine being used in 

 this treatment. The snake is taken from the cage and held as straight 

 as possible by eight or ten men, when the rabbits are forced down the 

 reptile's throat for a distance of fully six feet. Several of our big 

 pythons have been fed in this manner for periods of about a year. 

 All were brought to a state of perfect nourishment and commenced 

 feeding voluntarily. 



The feeding habits of P. molurus are quite similar to its larger 

 Malayan ally; some specimens taking nothing but fowl, others, 

 rodents and small swine. Having noted Mr. Mole's reference to 

 the fondness of pythons for alligators, the writer believes, that as 

 the species of the big snakes are more or less semi-aquatic, they often 

 feed upon the various crocodilians that teem in the regions inhabited 

 by these large constrictors. The African pythons are not so hardy 

 as captives as the Indo-Malayan species. 



Corallus is a genus of arboreal boas of eccentric distribution, 

 occurring in tropical America and Madagascar. The species prefer 

 birds and are well adapted in seizing the prey by the possession of 

 greatly developed, fang-like anterior teeth in both upper and lower 

 jaws. The small sand boas of India, (Eryx), feed upon lizards and 

 small rodents. Among the several small families of apparent rela- 

 tionship to the Boidae, the habit of constriction seems common in 

 overpowering small mammals and lacertilians. 



The Colubridae: The members of this elaborate family feed 

 upon mammals, birds, other reptiles, amphibians, fishes, crustaceans 

 and insects. It is with certain groups of species of this family that 

 we shall consider serpents of economic value to the agriculturist. 

 Passing the first series of the Colubridae, the Aglypha, all the mem- 

 bers possessing solid, recurved teeth, and the subfamily Acrochordinae, 

 composed of river snakes living upon fish and small crustaceans, we 

 will consider in detail the subfamily, Colubrinae, containing the 



