118 



THE PYTHON. 



The general color of this Serpent is grayish-brown above, covered with narrow bands 

 of black set rather closely together. The abdomen is black mottled with yellow, the sides 

 are white with spots of pale brown, and the lips and throat are of the same tint, but spotted 

 with black. The tail is nearly black. The usual length of this Serpent is about three feet 

 six inches. 



We now arrive at a very important family of serpents, including the largest species found 

 in the order. These Snakes are known by the popular title of Boas, and scientifically as 

 Boidse, and are all remarkable, not only for their great size and curious mode of taking their 

 prey, but for the partial development of the hinder limbs, which are externally visible as a 

 pair of horny spurs, set one on each side at the base of the tail, and moderately well developed 

 under the skin, consisting of several bones jointed together. In most of the species the tail is 



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■ S^XK^ 



CARPET SNAKE.— Morelia mriegata. 



rather short and strongly prehensile. The peculiar habits of these enormous Snakes will be 

 mentioned in connection with the various species. The first of these creatures is the Diamond 

 Snake of Australia (Morelia spilotes), a very handsome species and tolerably common. It is 

 called the Diamond Snake on account of the pattern of the colors, which are generally blue, 

 black, and yellow, arranged so as to produce a series of diamonds along the back. The Carpet 

 Snake (Morelia mriegata), of the same country, is closely allied to it. Both these reptiles are 

 variable in their coloring. 



The members of the restricted genus Python are remarkable for their habit of depositing 

 the eggs together and coiling their bodies round them, so as to form a large conical heap. The 

 common grass Snake is said to perform the same feat. The true Pythons are inhabitants of 



