THE PRINCIPAL SPECIES OF POISONOUS SNAKES 



135 



H. spiralis. — Olive above, yellowish beneath, with black rings ; 

 head black above, with a horse-shoe-shaped yellow mark, the 

 convexity of which rests on the prefrontal shields ; end of tail 

 black. 



Total length, 400 millimetres. Grows to 1,800 millimetres. 



Habitat : Coasts of India, and the Malay Archipelago. 



H. cmruUscens. — Grey above, with black cross-bands, which 

 form complete rings, or are interrupted on the belly ; head uniform 

 black. 



Total length, iS^b millimetres; tail 75. 



Habitat: Bombay Coast, Bay of Bengal, Straits of Malacca. 



H. nigrocinctus. — Pale olive on the back, yellowish on the belly, 

 with black annuli, which are broader on the back. 



Total length, 1,000 millimetres ; tail 100. 



Habitat: Bay of Bengal and Straits of Malacca. 



H. elegans (fig. 80). — Yellowish -white, 

 back with transverse rhomboidal black 

 spots, separated by a series of small black 

 spots ; belly with black spots or cross- 

 bars ; head blackish, with a more or less 

 distinct light crescentic marking across 

 the snout, from above the eyes. 



Total length, 710 millimetres ; tail GO. 



Habitat : North coast of Australia. 



H. gracilis. — Bluish-black or greyish, 

 ohve above in the adult, with more or less 

 distinct lighter cross-bands anteriorly. 

 Young sometimes with rhombic black 

 cross-bands extending to the belly, or sub-interrupted on the sides. 



Total length, l,0l20 milhmetres ; tail 90. 



Habitat : Coasts of Persia, India, and Ceylon ; Malay Archipelago. 



H. cantoris. — Body dark olive or blackish anteriorly, with 

 yellowish cross-bands above ; posterior part of body olive above, 

 yellowish on the sides ; tail with olive vertical bars ; a blackish 

 streak along the belly. 



Fig. 80. — Ilijdroplvis elegans. 

 (After Ki-efft.) 



