234. REPTILES OF THE WORLD 



A superficial examination will, however, readily distin- 

 guish the two apart: for the body of Russell's Viper 

 terminates in ordinary, tapering fashion — lacking the 

 curious, chopped-ofF outlines of the Sand Boa. 



The writer has found specimens of the Rough-scaled 

 Sand Boa to be hardy as captives, living for a nxmiber of 

 years — providing they are given plenty of dry sand in 

 which to burrow; in this they pass most of their time, 

 often lying close enough to the surface to expose a por- 

 tion of the back. Sparrows, mice and rats are taken 

 as food. None of the specimens tried to bite when 

 handled. 



The Egyptian Sand Boa, E. jaculuSj occurs abun- 

 dantly in northern Africa, also in the Ionian Islands, 

 Greece, southwestern and central Asia. Two feet is 

 the maximum length. Anteriorly the scales are smooth 

 and shining; they are feebly keeled posteriorly; super- 

 ficially examined, the entire snake looks smooth and 

 glossy. The tail is longer than with E. conicus, though 

 it terminates almost as bluntly as the head. Among 

 several dozen examples in the writer's possession, the 

 average length is twenty -two inches and the diameter at 

 the thickest part of the body three-quarters of an inch. 

 As a rule, the coloration is dull yellowish-gray, with 

 irregular, yellow transverse blotches. 



The Indian Sand Boa, Bro-\vn Sand Boa or "Two- 

 Headed" Snake, E. johnii, may be told by the almost 

 uniform brown hue and the curious tail, that member 

 looking as if it had been mostly amputated and healed 

 in a rounded stump. A big specimen is two and a half 

 feet long. Owing to the blunt character of the tail, the 

 name, "Two-headed" Snake, has arisen. A novice 

 might for a moment mistake the two extremities unless 

 closely inspected and the tiny ej^es discovered. The 



