The Elapine Poisonous Snakes 



considered. Such is not the case. Although the face of the fang 

 is deeply furrowed, the venom-conducting teeth contain a canal 

 for the flow of poison and open in a small orifice at the tip, in 

 the same fashion as a hypodermic needle. To be more detailed 

 in this explanation it might be said that the Elapine snakes 

 stand midway between the Opisiboglyph serpents and the Vipers, 

 as regards the development of the fangs. With the Opisiboglypba 

 the venom is conducted down the fangs by a groove; with the 

 Elapince (or Proteroglypba) the tooth is folded over the groove, 

 forming a canal, yet leaving the former very apparent in the pro- 

 cess of evolution, while the viperine snakes possess fangs of the 

 most perfect development, though on the front of each is a faint 

 indication of the groove. 



Compared with the fangs of the viperine snakes, the poisonous 

 instruments of the Elapine serpents are very small. While the 

 fangs of a seven-foot rattlesnake are nearly an inch in length, 

 the poison-conducting teeth of a twelve-foot King Cobra the 

 most deadly of all snakes are but five-sixteenths of an inch in 

 length but the poison of the Elapina attacks the nerves and 

 does not require injection to any depth before beginning its fatal 

 work. 



The American Elapine Serpents 



The Coral Snakes genus Elaps : These snakes have derived 

 their popular title from the bright, coral red, arranged in broad 

 rings on many of the species. With the majority of the Coral 

 Snakes, the pattern consists of broad rings of red and black, and 

 narrow rings of yellow. 



The Coral Snakes are of moderate size, with a cylindrical 

 body, rather short tail, and blunt head not distinct from the 

 neck. The eyes are very small and bead-like. With all of the 

 species the scales are smooth, highly polished and opalescent. 

 The bn'liant colours, combined with the lustre of the scales 

 cause ^hese reptiles to be among the most beautiful of the snakes. 

 As captives, however, they are uninteresting, continually en- 

 deavouring to burrow away from the light and displaying a decided 

 indifference toward feeding. 



Of the total number of Coral Snakes about twenty-eight 

 species but two occur in the United States. The majority 

 inhabit tropical South America. In the latter country they 



394 



