182 ON THE PHYSIOGNOMY OF SERPENTS. 



forming an acute angle on the summit of the head. S. 

 213 + 34. Length 6 feet. 



2. BuNGARus sEMiFAsciATUs. — Size a little less than 

 the preceding. Bones much less strong. Body surrounded 

 with half-rings. Tail more slender and conical. Head 

 more depressed; eyes less large. S. 209 + 46. Tints 

 very subject to variation. 



The third and last genus of Colubriform Venomous Ser- 

 pents is the 



NAJA. 



They have a more vigorous form than the Elaps or Bun- 

 garus ; their trunk is not cylindrical, but thickest towards 

 the middle ; their tail is more elongated, and always 

 conical ; theii* adbomen wide and convex ; their neck pos- 

 sesses, in a greater or less degree, the faculty of dilata- 

 tion, so as to form a disk ; their head is very distinct 

 from the trunk, and often very conical ; their eyes are 

 large and lateral ; as are the nostrils, Avhich are open ; 

 the rostral plate is ordinarily prolonged on the top of the 

 muzzle ; the labial plate just before the last, is often of 

 an irregular figure ; their scales are almost always lan- 

 ceolate, and sometimes also carinated. The Najas in- 

 habit hot countries, in the vicinity of the tropics in the 

 ancient world. 



1. Naja Tripudiaxs. — This is the celebrated snake of 

 which the Indian jugglers make use in the performance 

 of their tricks, and which has obtained the name of Spec- 

 tacle Snake, because its neck is ornamented with a mark 

 having some resemblance to some sorts of that instru- 

 ment. The neck is very dilatable. It attains a large 

 size. 23 to 31 rows of scales. S. 187 + 47. Brown 

 more or less deep ; sometimes uniform ; at other times 

 varied by oblique and narrow bands. Tints very subject 

 to variation. Found from Malabar to the Philippines. 

 A climatal variety exists in Sumatra, with dark coloiu-s ; 

 those of Java are almost black ; the tail shorter, and the 



