THE SNAKES 285 



is within striking distance. The movements of the rep- 

 tile are as slow and deliberate as the actions of a cat after 

 a bird. Just prior to a dart for the food, the snake's 

 head and neck will be seen to tremble in tense prepara- 

 tion, then comes a dart, lightning-quick and surely- 

 aimed. The lizard is firmly seized when one side, then 

 the other of both upper and lower jaw alternately hook 

 it back to within reach of the fangs. As these instru- 

 ments are imbedded, the snake holds the struggling prey 

 tenaciously. The action of the venom is speedy. The 

 violent efforts to escape become irregular convulsions, 

 soon giving way to an occasional twitch. Without re- 

 leasing its hold, the snake works the prey about in the 

 jaws so that the head of the lizard points down the ser- 

 pent's throat. The swallowing motions of the jaws now 

 quickly engulf the meal. It takes but one or two min- 

 utes' time for the poison of this kind of snake to render 

 a lizard inert, in fact, apparently lifeless. 



When a snake of the present species is crawling it 

 has the habit, as have all the tree snakes, of thrusting 

 out the tongue in straight and rigid fashion, the forked 

 extremities lying close together instead of spreading; 

 this causes the tongue to look like a thin spike ; nor does 

 the tongue of a tree snake often describe the rapid 

 oscillations to be noted with this important organ among 

 most serpents. 



If angered, the Pike-headed Snake acts as though 

 reluctant to bite, yet appears to threaten and thus 

 frighten away the cause of annoyance. A captive, when 

 disturbed, will sometimes open its mouth and follow, 

 with quickly-turning head, every motion of its observer. 

 Occasionally it may strike, but in a hesitating fashion, 

 with no trace of the agility displayed in catching the 

 prey. 



