. The American natural history : a foundation of useful knowledge of the higher animals of North America . Natural history. THE LARGEST SERPENTS 341 scheme, and the very large oval patches of light color, divided by black bands, that are laid along its back with regularity and precision. The sides are beautifully marked by light-colored diamonds and bars. When at home, this serpent feeds upon pacas, agoutis, capybaras, tamanduas, young peccaries and tapirs, and any bird that is large enough to justify attention. Considering the excellent climbing powers of the Boa Constrictor, and the dulness
. The American natural history : a foundation of useful knowledge of the higher animals of North America . Natural history. THE LARGEST SERPENTS 341 scheme, and the very large oval patches of light color, divided by black bands, that are laid along its back with regularity and precision. The sides are beautifully marked by light-colored diamonds and bars. When at home, this serpent feeds upon pacas, agoutis, capybaras, tamanduas, young peccaries and tapirs, and any bird that is large enough to justify attention. Considering the excellent climbing powers of the Boa Constrictor, and the dulness of certain SoTith American monkeys, it is highly probable that monkeys furnish many a meal for this serpent. The sloth is protected in two ways. It prefers the small and wreak outer branches of a tree, and it moves so slowly and un- ostentatiously a Boa would be long in finding one. If a twelve-foot Boa once wrapped itself around an unarmed man, it undoubtedly could suffocate him, or crush him to death, but it would be impossible for it to swallow him. There is at hand no authentic record of a Boa Con- strictor ever having killed a man or a horse. In South America I was assured by native hunters that Boas and anacondas swallow antlered deer, but when direct proof of this was called for, it never came. The Anaconda1 is the great water-constrictor of South America, and it so loves the aqueous element that some captive specimens never leave their bathing-tanks unless forced to do so. This serpent is strongly marked for identification by the very large black spots, round or nearly so, which cover its back from head to tail, laid on a dark olive ground. Sometimes these are ar- ranged in pairs, and suggest dumb-bells. This species attains very great size, and being fully equal to the reticulated python of the East Indies, it is one of the largest of living serpents. Of course it can hardly happen that specimens of the largest size would find their way into zoo- logical gardens. The l
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