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2. The Vipera Rusellii (Brown Tic-polonga). 

 This snake, though less virulent than the cobra, 

 is more deadly, owing to the superior length of its 

 poison fangs, which enable it to inject its poison 

 deeper into the system, and makes a cure of the 

 bitten person more difficult. 



This viper is perhaps the easiest snake to 

 recognise, on account of its short, fat body, stumpy 

 tail, and the black, chain-like pattern along its 

 back. It has a series of large black blotches or 

 spots along each side, and the head is triangular 

 and scale-covered. 



3. Bungams Ceylonicus. This snake is very 

 deadly, and belongs to a genus which is consider- 

 ably better represented in India than in Ceylon, 

 where only two varieties are found. The colour is 

 black, with white rings, and the belly of the young 

 is uniformly white. 



The Bungarus is liable to be confused with 

 the harmless Lycodon Aulicus. The former, how- 

 ever, has a round head, with eyes far forward, and 

 (if an adult) black bars underneath. The latter has 

 a pear-shaped head, eyes rather far back, and is 

 uniform white on the belly. 



4. The Bungams Caeruleics is rarely met with, 

 so a detailed description is unnecessary. It is like 

 the above, only that the belly is uniformly white, 

 and the rings are closer together. 



5. Trmeresurus Trigonocephalus (Green Tic- 

 polonga). The Trimeresurus is not by any means 

 always deadly in its bite ; in fact, human beings 

 usually recover. It is a bright green snake, with 

 black spots or blotches along the back. Its head 

 is pear-shaped, very distinct from the neck, and 

 covered with scales. The under-surface is yellowish, 

 and the tail short and very prehensile. 



6. Ancistrodon Hypnale. Seldom fatal in its 

 bite. A short thick-set viper, with an upturned 



