24 AUSTEALIAN SNAKES. 



Habit moderately elongate and slender, belly flat, sbarply keeled on 

 the edges of the ventral scales ; some portions of the skin between the scales 

 white, others black, as may be best observed when the snake is angry, 

 or, in preserved specimens, by stretching the skin. Olive-green, more or 

 less briglit above, beneath yellow, sides and chin of the same colour. The 

 intensity of coloration depends a good deal upon circumstances. Gliding 

 along the ground between tufts of grass in the sunshine, or swinging 

 from branch to branch in lofty trees, the color of this snake appears to be 

 dependent upon the surrounding foliage, as specimens in captivity never 

 look so brilliant. The periodical change of the skin has also a good 

 deal to do with the brightness of the snake's coat ; and a few days before 

 the skin is cast, all the lively hues have vanished, and a dull olive-brown is 

 the prevailing color. 



Young and half-grown Tree Snakes are olive-green above and 

 light-brown below ; if yellow tints are present, they appear near the 

 neck and lower jaw. The eye is rather large, the gape curved, and the 

 teeth small and of equal length. There is a row of scales running along 

 the back much larger than the side scales, and polygonal in form ; the 

 outer rows are elongated, narrow, quadrilateral, and very imbricated; 

 head shields regular; one anterior and two posterior oculars, and one 

 loreal — a scale not often observed in venomous species. When angry, the 

 body of this serpent expands in a vertical direction, whUst aU venomous 

 snakes flatten their necks horizontally. The Green Tree Snake, in a state of 

 excitement, is strongly suggestive of one of the popular toys of childhood, 

 by the peculiar white marks which become visible when its skin is distended. 



Australian Tree Snakes are harmless creatures, and seldom offer to 

 bite, even when handled ; they live on frogs, lizards, young birds, and 

 perhaps on insects and eggs also; they are probably oviparous; their 

 length seldom, if ever, exceeds six feet. 



The geographical range of the present species appears to be very 

 wide, and the whole of Australia, except the southern portions of Victoria, 

 may be considered its habitat. No specimens have as yet been captured 

 in South or South-western Australia ; the snake may exist there, however, 

 but it is doubtful whether D. imnctulata is found in the Phillipine Islands, 

 or in Ceylon, from which localities specimens are on record in the British 

 Museum Catalogue. 



