PREFACE. 



As far as I am aware no book has as yet been 

 written upon the " Snakes of Ceylon," though 

 accounts of the latter are usually included in the 

 many works and treatises on the Ophidia of India. 



These works, however, are, as a rule, too 

 technical for the general reader, and are more 

 suited to the scientist than the naturalist. Natural 

 History books, on the other hand, seldom give 

 sufficiently detailed information about the Snakes, 

 and only touch lightly on this interesting branch of 

 Natural History. I have, however, attempted to 

 supply this omission by describing the subject in 

 nearly all of its most interesting aspects, and 

 feeble though the attempt is, I trust that the 

 Scientist, Naturalist, Sportsman, and Taxidermist 

 may each find something to interest him in this 

 small volume, compiled from information gleaned 

 while keeping and studying Snakes in Ceylon. 



In compiling this book I have obtained much 

 valuable information from the following well-known 

 works : — 



**The Fauna of British India — Reptilia and 

 Batrachia," M. G. A. Boulenger. 



" The Poisonous Terrestrial Snakes of our 

 British India Dominions," Major F. Wall. 



'' Nicholson's Indian Snakes," Mr. E. Nichol- 

 son. 



