174 A COLLECTOR'S EXPERIENCES 



vipers, however, are exceptions to this rule. The 

 copperhead snake of this country gives birth to 

 about eight or nine young. Highly prolific among 

 the snakes are the giant boas and pythons, as two 

 illustrations from the writer's personal observation 

 will show; in one instance a captive boa {Boa con- 

 strictor) gave birth to sixty-four fully developed 

 young ; while a huge python deposited seventy -nine 

 eggs, which she gathered in her coils and guarded 

 jealously from the kindly interest of her keeper. 



Reptiles live much longer than warm-blooded 

 animals; some species have been observed to have 

 attained astonishing ages. Longest to subsist among 

 them are the tortoises ; following in order are the 

 crocodihans, lizards, and snakes. A giant tortoise in 

 the Zoological Park is estimated to be over three hun- 

 dred and fifty years old. Many records are on hand 

 where tortoises have been known to live for more 

 than a century. It may be safely said that as long 

 as conditions remain satisfactory for the existence of 

 reptiles they go on living indefinitely ; " old age " 

 comes to them when handicapped by some injury, or 

 when disease has permanently destroyed the vigor of 

 some part of their anatomy. 



Among the tortoises and turtles old specimens 

 may be distinguished in many instances by the 

 smoothness of their shells. As some of these rep- 

 tiles possess shelly coverings which abound with 

 ridges and serrations, and specimens live many years 

 in captivity without showing marked signs of wear, it 

 is impossible to estimate the number of years required 



