65 
the order, as the Anaconda and Boa, of South America, and 
the Python and Rock Snake, of Africa and Asia. They are 
possessed of great power and kill their prey by compression; 
they swallow without difficulty animals which appear larger in 
circumference than themselves, the articulation of their jaws 
and ribs permitting of a great degree of distension. Dr. 
Hartwig, in “The Tropical World,” treats in a most enter¬ 
taining style of these serpents:—“The kingly Jiboya (. Boa- 
constrictor *) inhabits the dry and sandy localities of the Bra¬ 
zilian forests, where he generally conceals himself in crevices 
and hollows, in parts but little frequented by man, and some¬ 
times attains a length of thirty feet. To catch his prey, he 
ascends the trees and lurks hidden in the foliage for the un¬ 
fortunate agutis, pacas, and capybaras whom their unfortunate 
star may lead within his reach. When full grown he seizes 
the passing deer; but in spite of his large size he is but little 
feared by the natives, as a single blow of a cudgel suffices to 
destroy him. Prince Maximilian of Neu Wied tells us that 
the experienced hunter laughs when asked if the Jiboya attacks 
and devours man. The Sucuriaba, Anaconda, or Water Boa 
(.Eunectes murinus'), as it is variously named, attains still 
larger dimensions than the constrictor, as some have been 
found of a length of forty feet. It inhabits the large rivers, 
lakes, and marshy grounds of tropical America and passes 
most of its time in the water, now reposing on a sand-bank 
with only its head above the surface of the stream, now rapidly 
swimming like an eel, or abandoning itself to the current of 
the river. Such is its voracity that Firmin (‘ Histoire 
Naturelle de Surinam’) found in the stomach of an Ana¬ 
conda a large sloth, an iguana nearly four feet long, and a 
tolerably sized ant-bear, all three nearly in the same state as 
when they were first swallowed—a proof that their capture 
had taken place within a short time.” 
Several specimens will be found in the collection of the 
Common Boa (Boa constrictor ) of South America and the 
Tree Boa (Epicrates angulifcr) of Cuba. The genus Epi- 
crates belongs to a section of the family which are distinct¬ 
ively known as Tree Boas ; they are rarely more than seven 
or eight feet long, are arboreal in habit, and are found in the 
West Indies and Guiana. 
A large variety of lizards are distributed throughout the 
world, being most common in the warmer parts of the tem¬ 
perate zone. There are many species, belonging to the order 
