He is found in India, all along the course of the Hooghly,
and is hugely superior in strength and size to all the other reptiles of
Asia. His habitat is usually up a tree, where he lies in ambush, and
he forages, and has for ages, on the nobler quadrupeds; seldom letting
himself down to make a "picked-up dinner" on the lower animals.
Sometimes, however, when tormented with an "all-gone sensation" in the
pit of his stomach, he descends to dine on a high-caste Brahmin and to
sup on a Gentoo.
The skin of the Boa has a silky sheen, like that of the finest Rep, and,
when taking a nap in the sun, his Damascened appearance may remind the
pious spectator of a scene damned by the intrusion of a similar reptile
several thousand years ago.
The Boa Constrictor is not a fascinating snake--far from it. He relies
on his muscles and not on his charms, for support. His appetite is
vigorous, and the manner in which he disposes of his tid-bits, such
as the larger carnivora, may be described as glutenous. Much has been
written of the creature, but a glance at his enormous volume will give a
truer idea of him than anything that has ever issued from the press.
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