EMBROIDERED BOA. 349 



places divine honours are paid to it. In the Le- 

 verian Museum are fine specimens of this snake, 

 one of which appears to have swallowed some spe- 

 cies of Oppossum of about the size of a common 

 rat, the head of which is purposely drawn out 

 from an opening made in the abdomen. In the 

 Museum of the late Dr. William Hunter is also a 

 very beautiful specimen. As this species can never 

 be mistaken for any other yet known, it is the less 

 necessary to parti cidarize the exact number of its 

 abdominal and subcaudal scuta, which, in speci- 

 mens preserved in covered glasses, is not very easy 

 to investigate : the only circumstance in which it 

 appears to vary is in the intensity of colour in the 

 embroidered pattern, which in some is black, and 

 in others deep chesnut. 



VA R. ? 



Seba describes and figures two snakes which 

 appear to me to be varieties of this species : one of 

 a purplish-ferruginous, the other of a yellow-fer- 

 ruginous colour : the abdomen in the former pale 

 purple, in the latter yellowish white : the general 

 variegations the same as in the first described kind : 

 the purplish variety is said to be from Japan, the 

 other from New Spain. See Seba, ml, % pL 79 

 and 80. Yet, if we mav trust to the accuracy of 

 the engraving, they should seem rather to belong 

 to tlie genus Coluber, the tails in both being re- 

 presented with divided squamae; but this may 

 perhaps be an inaccuracy on the part of the artist. 



