A POPULAR TREATISE ON INDIAN SNAKES. 11 



ophiomachus) as well as a rat. Major Evans knew one in captivity 

 eat two frogs, and a specimen in captivity in the Madras Museum* 

 ate during its incarceration 5 squirrels besides 27 rats, whilst the 

 young ate 67 mice, 5 squirrels, 4 frogs and 2 small rats. 



In captivity as a rule they refuse food,t and it is surprising how they 

 can keep health and vigour after months of deprivation from food and 

 drink. Davy J had a specimen he kept for 146 days without food, and 

 then allowed to bite a fowl which succumbed in a few seconds. Fayrer§ 

 had one which lived for a whole year without food or water, and it was 

 " vigorous and venomous to the last." I know of no snake-eating 

 tendencies in adults, but cannibalism seems a common offence among 

 the young. Major Dawson writes to me that on one occasion when 

 young daboias were born in the gardens at Trevandrum, " the young 

 commencad to devour each other," and on another occasion in the 

 same place " one of the young swallowed one of its fellows, and in about 

 a quarter of an hour disgorged it," and both at the time of writing 

 were alive, and well. Father Dreckmann, too, told me of a similar 

 experience among a brood born in captivity ; he says " when I inspect- 

 ed the young family one morning, I found one of its members dead, 

 and another one missing, and on examining the dead one I found the 

 missing one inside him." 



Breeding. — The literature on this snake affords more records of 

 breeding than any other snake, I might almost say than all other 

 Indian snakes taken together. 



In spite of Colonel Bannerman's opinions expressed in a recent 

 article in this Journal, and already referred to by me here, I think 

 there can be no question that the daboia is viviparous in habit. 



I am of opinion that the word " egg " as applied to the offspring 

 and their envelope by this observer is misleading. The term" egg " is, 

 it is true, a very indefinite one, which strictly speaking might be 

 applied even to the human infant born in a caul. Its use, however, 

 is restricted, at any rate in the popular mind, to the female cell impreg- 

 nated or otherwise contained within a maternal envelope of chitinous, 



* Administration Report of Madras Govt. Mns., 1896-7. 



t Mr. Spence, however, informs me that in his 7 years' experience in the Bombay 

 Societ s rooni8 this snake has fed better than any other species. 

 J Loc. cit., p 86. 

 § Loc. cit., p. 15 



