264 VIPERID.E 



with brown. Lower parts whitish, more or less 

 profusely speckled with grey or brown. The horny 

 shield terminating the tail usually dark brown or 

 black at the end. 



Size. — This species rarely reaches a length of 

 29 inches. The largest specimen in the British 

 Museum measures only 19 inches. 



Distribution. — From the north and east coasts 

 of the Caspian Sea, across Central Asia to the 

 Upper Yenissei, as far north as 51°. In Europe it 

 is only known from two arid tracts between the 

 Volga and the Ural, near the Caspian Sea, viz., the 

 Saltan-Murat desert and the Induski hills. 



Habits. — Nothing has been published on the 

 habits of this snake, but they are probably similar 

 to those of its near and more eastern relative, 

 A. blomhoffi, Schlegel, which inhabits China and 

 Japan. A. blomhoffi is said to be more or less 

 nocturnal, although showing a predilection for 

 localities well exposed to the sun. It is ovovi- 

 viparous. The symptoms of its bite, which is 

 rarely fatal to man, are the same as in the Vipers. 



All the species of Ancistvodon, so far as they 

 have been observed, are in the habit of raising and 

 vibrating the tail, like the Rattlesnakes, when coiling 

 themselves up in a defensive attitude. 



