33 
when Lieutenant-Governor of St. Lucia. The boa-constrictor could, 
in fact, be made one of the most interesting drawing-room pets 
possible ; and he had often had them twining round about his own 
body, while Miss Darling had made playmates of them when a 
child. Ho had also seen them introduced suddenly amongst a 
party, and made to rear their heads over a piano ; and although a 
little alarm was at first created, the creature soon became an object 
of interest and curiosity. His object in mentioning these things 
was merely to show that the reasons urged against the introduction 
of the boa constrictor wero not after all very tenable, and his own 
belief was that they were exceedingly useful in devouring other 
snakes of a highly venomous character. In St. Lucia there was 
also a snake called the “ Cribo,” which was in the habit of engaging 
in single combats the venomous snakes of the Island, and they 
generally ended in favour of the former. Now, whether tho boa 
was an habitual consumer of other snakes he was unablo to say ; 
but he had seen on one occasion a boa constrictor swallow a snake, 
and when only a little portion of tho tail was left exposed ho had 
himself pulled it out again, and sent it in a seidlitz powder box by 
the steam packet as a present to a young lady in a neighbouring 
island, where he had tho pleasure of seeing it afterwards as a 
perfectly tractable pet. He said all this because ho thought it was 
not wise to determine against tho introduction of any species of 
snake ; and with reference to tho boa constrictor, he would bo most 
happy to bocomo tho medium of imparting or obtaining any infor¬ 
mation ho might possess or could procure from tho West Indies. He 
would advert now to less doubtful obj ects. There were two kinds of fish 
in tho West Indies which ho should liko to see introduced here, and 
to one of these he thought Sir Henry Barkly might in all probability 
have called tho attention of the Council—^this was tho Calipeever of 
Jamaica, the other was tho Carfum of Barbadoes—both were 
esteemed great delicacies, and tho Calipeever was called the salmon 
of Jamaica. They were both spawned in salt water, and sought 
th(? fresh water afterwards. The Carfum was kept in ponds, and 
the Calipeever was found in salt ponds, or in water to which the 
sea had access. Now, he had perceived it stated that tho Gouramicr 
had been successfully introduced into South Australia, and as ho 
knew that the Gouramier had been at one time naturalized in 
Martinique, in West Indian climate and waters, there was every 
reason to hope that tho West Indian fishes he had alluded to might 
be received with equal success; and he could assure the Society 
they wero well worthy of the effort. These wero the only points 
c 
