46 SNAKES OF CEYLON. 



by constriction. Their movements are slow ; in fact, in some 

 progression cannot be called anything but a crawl. The 

 reason for this appears to be that the ribs are excessively 

 bowed to permit of the attachment of their extremities to the 

 sides of the very narrow ventral shields. The effect is that 

 a very narrow " foot " sustains the massive weight of the 

 body, and militates against active progression. 



Breeding. — Some are viviparous others oviparous. 



Food. — Mammals chiefly, but birds and reptiles are also 

 taken. 



Poison. — Not poisonous. 



Lepidosis. — Different in the two sub-families (q. v.) 



Dentition. — Different in the two sub -families. 



Distribution. — South Eastern Europe, Central and South 

 Asia, Africa, Australia, Western North America, Central and 

 South America, and West Indies. 



The family is divided into two sub-families, Pythoninse and 

 Boinse. 



Sub-family Pythoninae. 



Genus PYTHON. 



(Named from the fabled monster of Grecian mythology 



killed by Apollo in the Pythian Vale near Mount 



Parnassus.*) 



General Characters. — Large snakes attaining to 10 and 15 

 feet or more. Head nearly as broad as the body, depressed. 

 Snout long, broadly rounded, and without any canthus. Eye 

 moderate with vertical pupil. Nostril large, placed high on 



* Milton refers to the fable in the following lines : — 

 but still greatest he the midst 

 Now dragon grown, larger than whom the sun 

 Engendered in the Pythian Vale on slime 

 Huge Python ; and his power uo less he seemed 

 Above the rest still to retain." 



(Paradise Lost, Book X., line 528, et. seq.) 



