530 On the " Indian Boa," " Python Tigris." [July, 



tim moves away, in which case they seize anywhere they can, but 

 having crushed it, they invariably commence at the head in swallow- 

 ing it, by which means they have less difficulty in drawing in the 

 wings and legs of animals, than if they commenced at the tail, and 

 indeed it would be totally impossible to swallow a large bird or 

 quadruped unless they began at the head, for the wings would open 

 out across the mouth, and prevent the bird descending into the 

 throat, and so would the legs of a quadruped. 



As it is, they often meet with difficulty in swallowing even a mo- 

 derate sized prey. 



A Boa eight and a half feet long, which could swallow a large 

 sized full grown rabbit, had often great difficulty in taking in a par- 

 tridge, for if he did not begin cleverly at first in getting the body to 

 follow the head and neck tolerably straight, i. e. if he seized it rather 

 too much on one side, the opposite wing would not enter his mouth ; 

 but in such cases he had an infallible remedy for smoothing down 

 the obstacle, which consisted in throwing a coil tight round his own 

 neck, and then drawing his head, and prey backwards through it, by 

 which means the wings were smoothed down and lengthened out, so 

 as to be easily swallowed. 



They appear to be nocturnal, — at least I judge so, from their lying 

 coiled up all day, and moving about in the cool of the evening about 

 nightfall. 



They make a loud hissing w T hen irritated by being touched, but 

 otherwise emit no sound. 



About the middle of November they became lazy and sluggish, 

 and refused food when offered to them on the 1st December, although 

 they had not been fed for a month before. From that time until the 

 beginning of April, they refused to feed and generally remained 

 folded coil above coil, the head surmounting all. 



During this period they were easily provoked to bite, but never 

 made any attempt to throw a coil round their disturbers. 



From the month of April they took food freely, whenever it was 

 offered to them, which was generally once a fortnight, although some- 

 times more than a month would intervene. They were fond of water 

 which they were frequently supplied with, and had it thrown over 

 them in the evening during the hot weather. 



On the 26th May the large one killed and swallowed a partridge 

 and soon afterwards began to cast his skin. This he did, by first 

 rubbing his muzzle against the side of his cage until the skin became 

 detached at the lips, and then by gliding slowly through and through 



