. The American natural history; a foundation of useful knowledge of the higher animals of North America. Natural history. 340 OEDERS OF EEPTILES—SERPENTS flirting a wound, nor of conveying poison into the blood of anotlier creature. Snakes never are "; Removing the fangs of a poisonous serpent does not necessarily render it harmless; for new fangs promptly grow out to take the place of those removed. The rattle of the rattlesnake contains more than one joint for each year of life,—usually two or three. THE LARGEST SPECIES OF SERPENTS. Family Boidac. The Family Bo'i-dae, contain
. The American natural history; a foundation of useful knowledge of the higher animals of North America. Natural history. 340 OEDERS OF EEPTILES—SERPENTS flirting a wound, nor of conveying poison into the blood of anotlier creature. Snakes never are "; Removing the fangs of a poisonous serpent does not necessarily render it harmless; for new fangs promptly grow out to take the place of those removed. The rattle of the rattlesnake contains more than one joint for each year of life,—usually two or three. THE LARGEST SPECIES OF SERPENTS. Family Boidac. The Family Bo'i-dae, containing the boas, ana- condas and pythons, embraces between sixty and seventy species. It is as natural for human interest in ani- before swallowing it, are constrictors, because of their method; but all big serpents are not nec- essarily Boa constrictors. That title applies to but a single species, found in South America; and, curiously enough, its Latin name is also its popular name. In seizing its prey, this serpent instantly reveals its name by its method. The jaws open widely, fly forward with electric quickness, close on the animal, and hold fast. Instantly there- after, a coil of the body near the head is flung completely around the victim and drawn tight, to suppress struggling, and prevent possible escape from the jaws. From the oldest and largest to the youngest and smallest Boa Con- strictors, all seize their prey with precisely the same action, and the flinging of the first coil fol-. New York Zoological Park. BOA CONSTRICTOR. mals to be greatest toward those that are the largest of their kind, as it is for sparks to fly upward. It is well to see what Nature can do when she puts forth her best efforts. No one need apologize for a keen interest in pythons, boas and anacondas, provided that interest is kept down to bed-rock truth, and all exaggera- tions and are rigidly eliminated. Unfortunately, however, the makers of sensa- tions about wild animals re
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