OPHIDIAN NOMENCLATURE, ETC. 425 



London collection, hybrids have been produced at least 

 twice within a few years ; and we fear that the habit of 

 hibernatincr in mixed multitudes leads to some immorality 

 among the Ophidia. It is like the overcrowded dwellings 

 of the poor, and the ' free-lovers ' of America ; and perhaps 

 to ophidian unions between congeners occasionally may 

 be traced not a few of the varieties which so curiously 

 and closely blend different species and are a plague to 

 classifiers. This is mere speculation. 



The Indian vernaculars are as abundant and perplexing 

 as those of Brazil. Of the cobras. Sir J. Fayrer says there 

 are many varieties which the natives consider different 

 species. ' The snake charmers are poor naturalists, and 

 disseminate many false notions as well as dangerous ones 

 about the cobras.' In the ThanatopJiidia nine or ten varieties 

 are figured, all of the one single species {Naja tripudians), 

 thouGrh all bear different vernaculars. The two chief distinc- 

 tions in the markings are the spots on the back of the ' neck,' 

 which, when the hood is distended, are easily distinguished. 

 One with a single ocellus is the Keautiah, known as ' Kala 

 samp,' ' Nag samp,' etc., being chiefly of the field or jungle. 

 The other with the double ocellus is the 'spectacled cobra,' 

 and essentially of the town. This is the ' Gokurrah ' of the 

 natives, and the favourite of the snake charmers. Being 

 common all over a country which boasts of thirty-six written 

 languages, the reader can imagine the number of vernaculars 

 bestowed upon the Cobra capdla. 



The ophiopJiagiis is almost equally favoured, as this snake 

 also varies in colour, particularly in the young ones, which 

 Fayrer affirms might easily be mistaken for a different 



