Morning journal and courier., 1883-01-25
A Lecture on Reptiles.
Prof. Bickmore Tells the Teachers about CObras and Boa ConstrictO
 

Prof Bickmore Tells the Teachers about
 CObras and Boa ConstrictOrs.
 From the New York Timesl
 Prof. Bickmore, of the American Museum of Natural History, whose recent free lec- lures on zoology afforded so much entertain ment and instruction to the public school teachers, began second series of similar weekly talks yesterday morning It IS his purpose in this series to describe animal life and trace it's development from the lowest form of scaly reptiles to the Aryan or white race. Ten lectures wiA be delivered, and each will be illustrated by stereoscopic views The professor had large audience yesterday, and his talk on "Scaly Reptiles" was listened to with evident interest and pleasure. He divided reptiles into three groups-snakes, turtles, and sauriand, the latter being the lowest form. The chief physical characteristics of 8 snake are that it has body without legs, ribs without ster- mum or breast-bone, eyes without lids, and no external ear. Snakes are separated by students of natural history into different groups, mainly with regard to the ,mplica- tions of the scales on their bodies Although to an ordinary observer snakes scales ap- pear to have been put on it's body at hap hazard investigation has proved that each scale has definite relation to the interior of the snake.
 Pictures of hugh boa constructors were SnOWn on the ScrS6n. EEOI. D1ckmOr0 e4- plained that snakes of this class were seldom found of greater length than 20 feet, but any person coming suddenly upon @ snake of that size would think that it was certainly 40 or 50 feet long. The boas generally are SUD- posed to include all of the great snakes that crush their vic inns by construction, but sci entists narrow them to 8 smaller class. A boa possesses muscles of great strength and has wonderful power of contracting and relaxing them. By this power it is enabled to dart it's head forward against it's prey with lightning-like rapidity. Its long, sharp teeth point downward toward its throat, so that, having once drawn an object into it's mouth, the snake cannot very well release it. Before swallowing it's prey boa-con- strictor discharges upon it, from the roof of it's mouth, an oily fluid, which makes it's pas sage through 8 comparatively small throat easy. Boa constrictors often swallow ani- mals as large as COWS. Some years ago dead anaconda, or water-boa, 43 feet long was found in large tree in South America, where it had been washed by flood, and upon examination the skeleton of 8 horse was found inside of the snake. The anacon-- das are the largest snakes known. They are found principally in the Valley of the Anna zon, where they prey upon such small ami malls as COWS, and sometimes VIII catch fishes. Boas have been known to climb trees but not very often. The python is 8 more frequent climber of trees, but it is 8 ruthless destroyer of birds nests and their contents. All large snakes in attacking crea- lures of any size coil themselves round their victims with terrible force Their object is not only to kill but crush the bones of their prey, so that there may be less trouble in swallowing it. Snakes, as rule, are very slow in assimilating food. In many cases they have been known to coil themselves up in the forks of trees after their sumptuous repasts and remain perfectly passive for days and weeks. The tree snakes of South America climb about with great ease, although not always with rapidity.
 The lecturer caused various pictures of the