Among the semi-civilised, idolatrous inhabitants of the continent,
several snakes were objects of worship. The boa-constrictor especially
was regarded as an emblem of strength and power, from its vast size, and
the fearful effect produced by its encircling coils as it winds itself
round the body of its victim.
See the creature as its shining body moves rapidly among the fallen
leaves and dried husks in the forest, rather like a stream of brown
liquid than a serpent, with skin of varied colours! Onwards it goes,
with scarcely a perceptible serpentine movement. Even the huge trunk of
a fallen tree does not stop it, but it glides over the impediment in its
undeviating course, making the dry twigs crack and fly off with its
weight. Now it stops, watching for its prey. An agouti runs by,
regardless of the seeming rivulet; but the hapless creature is seized by
the serpent's jaws, and those terrible folds surrounding the body--coil
above coil--crush the bones, till it becomes a mere mass of flesh. And
now it begins to suck in its prey; not lubricating it, as is generally
stated, although a large quantity of saliva surrounds the animal while
it is descending the monster's throat. After a time the meal is
finished, and the serpent--its body greatly distended--remains at rest,
unwilling to move, when it may be easily captured by the daring hunter.
The body of the boa is of a rich brown colour. A broad chain of large
black spots, alternating with white, runs along its back; while the
scales round the eyes are set in a circle, separated from those of the
lips by two rows of smaller scales. The jaws are not united, but
attached to the skull by muscles and ligaments, which enable it to
dilate the mouth sufficiently to swallow bodies much larger than itself.
The largest grow to a length of thirty feet and upwards; but boas
ordinarily do not attain more than twenty feet in length.