A CROCHORDID^E. 6 1 



pupil. Adult individuals have, like the Pythons, a short conical 

 prominence in a* groove on each side of the vent ; this being the 

 extremity of a rudimentary hind limb. " The snakes of this family," 

 remarks Dr. Gunther, "show great similarity to the Pythons and 

 Boas with regard to their internal structure as well as to their external 

 characters. But their tail is very short, not flexible, and much less 

 prehensile ; and whilst the serpents just mentioned are more or less 

 arboreal, frequenting marshy places with luxuriant vegetation, the 

 Erycidtz inhabit dry, sandy, or stony plains, burrowing with the 

 greatest facility below the surface, and entering crevices and holes 

 in search of their prey, which consists of mice, lizards and other 

 burrowing snakes. Probably they are semi-nocturnal, and able 

 to see in dark places as well as in the night. They are found in 

 Northern Africa, in the islands of the Mediterranean, in the arid 

 parts of India, and probably in Arabia : two species are known to 

 have been brought from Sikhim." 



The Cursoria elegans is said to be from Afghanistan ; Eryx 

 jaculus inhabits Greece and Egypt ; and there is also E. thebaicus 

 in the latter country, and E. Johnii in India. Another Indian 

 species is the Gongylophis conicus, which the natives erroneously 

 persist in declaring to be venomous. The Eryx Joh?iii is frequently 

 found in the possession of the serpent-charmers of its native country, 

 who mutilate the end of its short thick tail in such a manner that the 

 scarred extremity somewhat resembles the form of the head. Such 

 specimens are shown as deadly two-headed snakes, and, as such, 

 are occasionally brought alive to Europe. An example of this 

 species lived in the London Zoological Gardens for about eight 

 years, and fed regularly on young mice. The keeper assured Dr. 

 Gunther that it frequently covered its prey with saliva. It always 

 kept itself hidden below the gravel at the bottom of its cage. This 

 species attains to a length of nearly four feet, the tail measuring but 

 four inches. 



The Acrochordidce constitute a very remarkable small family, of 

 which one genus is terrene and another highly aquatic in its habits. 

 Whether a third genus, the Javanese Xenodermus, should be referred 

 to it, is doubtful, in the opinion of Dr. Gunther. These snakes have 

 the body of moderate length, rounded or slightly compressed, and 

 covered with small wart-like not imbricate tubercular or spiny 

 scales ; tail rather short, prehensile ; head rather small, not dis- 

 tinctly separated from the neck, and covered with scales like those 

 of the body ; nostrils close together at the top of the snout ; teeth 

 short, but strong, of nearly equal size, and situate both in the jaws 



