292 



NOTES ON SNAKES COLLECTED IN CANNANORE 



FROM 5th NOVEMBER 1903 TO 5th AUGUST 1904. 



By Capt. F. WALL, i.m.s., c.m.z.s. 



(Read before the Bombay Natural History Society on 16th March 1905.) 



Family Typhlopid.<e. 

 Typhlops Acutus. 

 This snake is called by the Malabaris " Kooroodan pamboo," " blind- 

 snake," which name is also applied to the Cgecilian Uroeotyphlus 

 oxyurus. A single adult specimen was brought to me alive on the 

 2nd December. It wriggled vigorously in my grasp, but made no 

 attempt to bite me. 



Family BOIDJ]. 

 Sub-family BoiNiP. 

 Eryx conicus. 

 An extremely common snake, called by the natives " Mandalee." 

 This name is also given by them to Russell's viper, from which they 

 are apparently unable to distinguish it. They are extremely afraid of 

 it, and many have been the entreaties I have received not to handle 

 it. I have had many in captivity, but it is an uninteresting, sluggish 

 reptile, and does not thrive well, usually refusing food. It will some- 

 times snap at an offending object, but as often takes little or no notice 

 of it, and will even refuse to retract its nose from the glass of its cage 

 when drummed against. Its courage and strength are exemplified 

 by its power of overcoming full-grown squirrels (Sciurus palmarum). 

 On two occasions I had captor and victim brought in to me, and one of 

 those snakes only measured 1 foot 4^ inches ! I have often wondered 

 what tactics it can adopt to effect the capture of these very active and 

 comparatively large creatures. These are not the only instances known 

 to me in which squirrels have fallen a prey to this snake. One specimen 

 had swallowed a large frog (Rana tiyrina). Another of 9J inches had 

 oaten some small mammal, too digested to identify. It kills its victims 

 bv crushing, and I have always found them dead before the snake has 

 begun swallowing. It has a habit, like many other snakes, of crouching 

 or pressing itself to the ground when molested, and this is most noticeable 

 in the hinder part of the body. Its movements are slow, and it cannot 

 be got to hasten ; on the contrary, if worried, sulks, and remains coiled 

 nod stationary. I obtained oG specimens. The sex is not recorded in 18, 

 and of the remainder 9 were males and 9 females ; 15 were obtained in 



