354 SNAKES. 



arose out of the word cobra, Portuguese for snake, so that 

 wherever the Portuguese settled most snakes were Cobras. 

 In India the English have retained the name Cobra for 

 the snakes with the hood, which name is now confined to 

 the one group, Cape/la. 



* The characters of dentition offer in a great many cases a 

 decisive method for distinguishing the species,' says Gunther ; 

 * but as regards the combination of species into genera 

 and families, it is of no greater importance than any other 

 external character by itself. . . . Still I am always glad 

 to use the dentition as one of the characters of genera and 

 species whenever possible — namely, whenever it corresponds 

 with the mode of life, the general habits, and the physiology.' ^ 



Since the publication of Dr. Giinther's work. The Reptiles 

 of British India, 1864, the distinctions of the various types 

 of dentition seem to have been more clearly comprehended ; 

 and ' as this work is the accepted authority among English 

 ophiologists, and will best commend itself to the reader, 

 it shall be our guide in the present attempt to simplify 

 much complication. 



The five groups of snakes described in chap. ii. are 

 divided into three sub-orders of Ophidia as follows : — i. 

 Ophidia cohtbrifonnes (the harmless snakes). 2. OpJiidia 

 cohibrifonnes venenosi (those which, not having the viperine 

 aspect just now described, are the more dangerous from 

 their innocent appearance). 3. Ophidia viperiforrnes (the 

 viperine snakes). 



Although apparently named from their form only, it is 

 . the teeth which have chiefly to do with these latter distinc- 



1 Introduction to the Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Ahiseum., 1858. 



