10. But it was distressing to watch its strict fast day after day, and yet day after day I hoped this long fast would be broken, and did not like to abandon it. A facetious friend of mine would never call it anything but Martha Taylor, in memory, I suppose, of the fasting woman of Derbyshire. After laying a large number of perfect eggs, my chameleon died, and the housekeeper announced the event to me as "a happy release."

11. When this chameleon first came into my possession and was comparatively vigorous, substances of various colors were placed near it without its ever altering its hue accordingly, as far as I could perceive. Sometimes the tints of the skin would vary, but not in unison with the adjacent color. Gray or pale yellow, with the spots varying into green, gray, or black, were the prevailing hues in its latter days and at its death.

12. I have frequently seen chameleons take their food, although I never could succeed in inducing my own to break its fast. When one of them is about to feed, it rolls its eyeball till the pupil is brought to bear upon the intended victim. Motionless and patient, the reptile waits till the insect arrives within distance. Then the extensile tongue is protruded with unfailing aim precisely to the extent required, and is retracted with the prey. When two meal-worms were placed before a chameleon, one on one side and one on the other, at different distances, the eye of each side was leveled at the adjacent insect; and, though the eyes were necessarily looking in different directions, the tongue did its duty upon both, one after the other, when they came within reach.

BRODERIP.

91. THE PYTHON.

con-vo-lu'tions, windings, foldings. te-năç'i-ty, firm hold.

un'du-la-to-ry, rising and falling like

waves.

1. I WENT to the island of Ceylon, so rich in spices, gold, diamonds, and serpents, for the purpose of arranging some important affairs, and a house was given me lying between the capital and an adjoining wood. At a short distance from my house there was a little rising ground where some large palm-trees grew. One morning, looking at this group of trees, I observed one of the boughs moving about in an extraordinary manner, although there was no wind stirring.

2. I was remarking this strange appearance when one of the people of the island entered, to whom I pointed it out immediately. He stood pale with terror, and implored me hastily to close all my doors, for what I took to be the bough of a tree was actually an enormous serpent, which was sporting itself with undulatory movements. With the aid of a small telescope I soon convinced myself that this was the case, and afterwards saw how it seized and gradually swallowed a little animal that came in its way.

3. The native Ceylonese told me that it was an almost unheard-of event that this monster should venture so near to human dwellings; and added that this kind of serpent was well known on the island, and haunted the thickets, where, darting down from a tall tree, it crushed the unsuspecting traveler in its long coils. Before an hour had elapsed we were all resolved to sally out-twelve in number-on horseback, and well armed, against the fearful

reptile, and resolved upon its death. We rode tolerably near, and found the serpent much larger than it had seemed to us in the distance, so that every one wished to be at home once more with a whole skin, and no one could make up his mind on firing off his gun.

4. However, we took our time to observe it more closely, which convinced us that no description of monster equaled the one we had before our eyes. In the heat of the day the serpent played round the tree in a thousand convolutions. It came down, climbed up again, once more descended, coiled its tail round the lower part of the stem of the tree, and then stretched itself out upon the ground to its full length. But after a few minutes it rushed with lightning speed once more up the palm-tree. It saw an animal slowly approaching the trees; and, as soon as it was near enough, the giant serpent, till now so quiet, darted down upon the animal, which was about the size of a fox, twined itself round and round its body, and swallowed it after breaking all its bones.

5. We remained in our position quietly at a shot's distance. The serpent laid itself on the ground at full length, licked itself with its black, broad, double tongue, holding fast meantime on to the tree with its tail. Now we all shot, aiming at the head; but either we missed our aim, or the shots that touched rebounded, the animal remained unwounded, and took no notice of our firing. So we resolved to give up our attack for that day. The Ceylonese know the nature of this reptile better than it is described in books. They were rejoicing beforehand how the meat of the fat serpent would taste when they had killed it. And of this they felt pretty sure, for they knew that it would not soon leave a tree that it had once chosen. Only

patience and attention were necessary to find out the time when it was so thoroughly satiated that it could not move again from the spot.

6. The next morning we set out early, reinforced to the number of a hundred men, and found the python still in its old place. We observed it through a telescope; it seemed to be very hungry and furious. We took up a position in a thicket behind, different from the day before, whence we could see it, but not be seen ourselves. After having waited for more than an hour, there came on the scene what we had so much wished for, namely, a tiger, these animals being very numerous on the island. He was of enormous size, and about the height of a young cow. Unsuspicious of the danger that threatened him, he approached slowly, seeming himself on the look-out for prey.

7. Meantime we were all earnestly watching the serpent, to see what would happen. Suddenly we heard a distant rustling, and saw the monstrous serpent dart like an arrow on the passing tiger, and infold him closely. The tiger roared fearfully, and, to our horror, sprang towards us with the serpent. But the reptile made short work with him, embracing him so closely that he fell down. After this it seized the tiger's head, and mangled it in a fearful manner, although he defended himself to the utmost, writhing about, and made every possible resistance; but in vain. The roaring of this hot-blooded animal in the power of the cold-blooded serpent was terrible. We remarked in the tiger all the movements indicative of the fearful tortures of a most horrible death.

8. I proposed that we should all shoot together. My companions, however, were not of the same opinion, and

said that if we did not hit the serpent, but only disturbed it, it would become so savage that it might perhaps cost some of us our lives, and, besides this, the serpent would be ours as soon as it had swallowed the tiger. The tiger was of the strongest kind, and gave his enemy much to do, although he could do it no harm. The struggle lasted more than four hours, after which time the tiger lay on the ground exhausted and apparently dead.

9. The serpent now strove to break all his bones; and as it could not accomplish this in every case, it drew him with all its strength to the tree, so that I learned how the tree was of double service to it. For although this long worm-shaped giant is strong enough to compress in its folds stags, buffaloes, and tigers, and to kill them in this fashion, it is not able to devour or to tear them in pieces, but it must first break the bones of these and all such animals it must therefore have some holding place, and for this it makes use of trees.

10. Thus the serpent, having drawn the tiger back to the tree, coiled himself round both, and then pressed them so closely together that after repeated efforts the bones and ribs cracked and broke. This work lasted several hours, the tiger still showing signs of life and pain, for he has a greater tenacity of life than even his kinsman, the cat. At the breaking of every bone he uttered a mournful yell. The serpent had not finished its work when the end of the day came, and we retired very weary.

11. On coming the third morning, we remarked a strange alteration in the body of the tiger, which lay at some distance from the tree, a red, formless mass, covered with shining slime. The serpent then commenced to swallow its food, drawing first the head and then the body into its