BOIDIE, a family of serpents embracing two subfamilies: (1) the Pythonince (pythons), and (2) Boince (boas). This family contains the largest snakes of modern times, besides some species of small size; and is characterized especially by possessing vestiges of hinder limbs, appearing externally in the larger species as claw-like spurs on each side of the vent. The scales of the upper surface are small and smooth, while those of the belly (crawling scales) are narrower than in other serpents of similar size. The head is covered with en larged flat scales or "shields,)) especially in the pythons. The eyes are small and the pupils usually elliptical. The mouth is filled with strong recurved teeth borne on both the jaw bones and on those of the palate. The body is thick and very muscular.
The subfamily Pythoninee (pythons, carpet snakes, etc.) have a pair of supraorbital bones, the premaxillaries carry teeth and the sub caudal scales are mostly in two rows. They number about 20 species, and belong to the tropical parts of the Old World, with a single species in Mexico (see PYTHON). They repro
duce by laying eggs which are brooded until theyoung hatch.
The Boince lack the supraorbitals, have no teeth on the premaxillaries and a single row of subcaudal scales. They number 40 or more species, mostly American, but a few genera are to be found in scattered parts of the Old World tropics and in Madagascar, that island having two genera otherwise known only in America. The extraordinary distribution of this subfamily is one of the most interesting facts in zoogeography. The young in this sub family are born alive, not from eggs as in the pythons. (See BoAs). Consult Boulenger, Reptiles and Batrachians' (London 1914) ; Gadow, 'Reptiles) (London 1901) ; Ditmars, 'Reptiles of the World' (New York 1910) ; Gosse, 'A Naturalist's Sojourn in Jamaica' (London 1851) ; Moles and Ulrich, 'Serpents of Trinidad' (in 'Proceedings' Zool. Soc. of London, pp. 499 et seq., 1894).