338 OPHIDIA. 



The snakes of this family inhabit all the tropical regions and Australia; those of British 

 India belong to the following genera : — 



A. Neck dilatable : Najid.e. 



All the subcaudals are bifid Naja, p. 338. 



Three pairs of very large sliields round the occipitals Ophiophagus, p. 340. 



B. Neck not distensible : Elapid^. 



Scales in fifteen serieSj those of the vertebral series hexagonal ; subcaudals simple . Bungm~us, p. 342. 



Scales in fifteen series, those of the vertebral series hexagonal ; subcaudals bifid . Xenurelaps, p. 345. 



Scales in thirteen series, those of the vertebral series hexagonal Megarophis, p. 346. 



Scales in thirteen series, those on the back of equal size Callophis, p. 346. 



NAJA, Laur. 



Body and tail of moderate length ; belly flat ; head rather high and short, 

 not very distinct from neck, which is very dilatable, the anterior ribs being- 

 elongate. The shields of the head normal, but the loreal is absent. Nostril 

 wide, lateral, between two shields ; eye of moderate size, with round pupil. 

 One pr£e-, three, sometimes two or four post-oculars. Six upj)er labials, the 

 third and fourth entering the orbit ; the third forms the lower half of the 

 anterior margin of the orbit. Scales smooth, much imbricate, in numerous 

 series round the hood. Anal entire ; subcaudals two-rowed. Tlie fang is 

 grooved, with a foramen at its extremity ; one or two small ordinary teeth 

 at a short distance behind it. 



Naja tripudians. The Cobra or 'Haga. 



Coluber naja, L. Syst. Nat. i. p. 382. 



Naja lutescens, Laur. Syn. p. 91. Cantor, Mai. Rept. p. 117. 

 Russell, Ind. Serp. i. tab. 5 & 6; ii. tab. 1. 



Naja tripudians, Merr. Tent. p. 147. Gray, Ind. Zool. Schleg. Phys. Serp. ii. p. 466. pi. 17. 

 figs. 1-3. Gunth. Colubr. Snakes, p. 223. 



larvata, Cantor, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1839, p. 32. 



atra, Cantor, Ann. ^- Mag. Nat. Hist. 1842, ix. p. 482. 



kaouthia. Less, in Belang. Voy. Ind. Orient. Zool. p. 312, Rept. pi. 2 (very bad). 



The sixth upper labial is small, and forms a suture with a lai-ge temporal shield ; two 

 temporals in contact with the postoculars. Scales on the foremost part of the neck in 

 twenty-five or twenty-three series. 



