EAST AFEICAN SNAKES. 883 



A fortnight after its capture it attempted to swallow a dead 

 female Mabuia striata which was put into the cage. The skinlc 

 was much too large for it, but the snake pevs'^vered for thirty 

 minutes, but could not get past the front legs ; it Hnally disgorged 

 the whole. The Arusha specimen had a skinU in its stomach 

 when taken. This snake is exti-emely gentle. 



EnAMPniopniS oxyrhynchIjs Reinh. 

 Blgr. Cat. Snakes, iii. 1896, p. 146. 



Eight specimens, Dar es Salaam, Chanzuru, Kilosa, Tindiga, 

 Pwaga, Dodoma., Luguo, and Mwanza District (1920-22), as 

 against twenty-six from Morogoro and Jjumbo (1915-18). 

 Several were dug out of gerbil {7\ swayihlivgi) holes and one 

 was found occupying the same hole as a mungoose (//. ivorii). 



The lai'gest male (Avhose tail-tip was missing) measured 

 r)6| inches (1014 + 425), and largest female 5 feet (1040 -f 

 469), nearly six inches longer than the maximum measurement 

 given in the Catalogue. Half-a-dozen specimens had more 

 than 110 subcaudals, the highest number being 116. As might 

 bo expected, a specimen from the sandy thornbush country of 

 Dodoma was very pale sand-colour. 



At Kilosa these snakes were pairing during December in 1920. 

 Tliree very large ones were seen many times in the grass during 

 November, the rains having commenced on the 1st, but it was not 

 till the 4th of December that I surprised a pair in coitu ; one of 

 these I ciught, and the other the following day. It was about 

 5 feet long. Ten eggs measuring 40x20 mm. were laid by one 

 of this pair in the vivarium between l-7.viii. 1921, so that the 

 period of gestation would be about three months. Eight eggs 

 (15x8 mm.) in a Dodoma specimen taken ll.vii. 21. I have 

 already recorded 13 eggs laid in October by a half-grown female 

 of this species. 



In diet they are omnivoi'ous ; a small specimen endeavoured to 

 swallow a large rat, but could not get past the front legs and was 

 forced to disgorge (12. iii. 21), but a large specimen took a young 

 rat (15. 6. 21), and a wild specimen disgorged a shrew (Crocidura 

 Jlavescens) on being caught. The natives say that a tame guinea- 

 fowl chicken was taken by the largest of the three snakes which 

 were seen in September. The chicken was heard calling in the 

 grass, but as the boys were afraid to go into the grass, it is a 

 matter of supposition. In captivity I feed them on Mahuiavaria, 

 which they take well. It might be of interest to hei-petologists 

 to know that a snake should not be fed on recently chloroformed 

 food. Wishing to pack some of these snakes to go to Europe 

 I chloroformed some geckos and skinks and introduced them into 

 the mouths of the snakes, which swallowed them, but a few 

 moments later showed signs of poisoning, one rolling on its back. 



The bite of this species would not appear to be dangerous to 

 human beings, as a small native boy who caught a 4-foot snake 



