REPTILIA. 147 



It Is a native of Eastern and South-eastern Europe from the north 

 of Italy, Austria, and through Greece. I do not find it recorded from 

 Persia, though it has been met with in the Transcaucasian Provinces of 

 Russia. 



31. Daboia xanthina. Gray. Cat. Sn. Br. Mus., p. 24. 



Plate XV. 



I twice obtained this poisonous Serpent, once on the Plain of Acre, 

 and once near Tiberias. On one occasion it had swallowed a full-grown 

 hare whole, and was unable to move. On the other it had just struck a 

 quail, which dropped down dead as I came up with it, with no other mark 

 of injury than a slight scratch close to the tip of its wing. 



It is very interesting to find this peculiarly Indian, and not African, 

 genus in Palestine. It has also been found near Lake Urumiah, in 

 Armenia. 



32. Cerastes hasselqidstii. Strauch. Syn. d. Viperid., p. 1 12. 



The Horned Cerastes, well known as an inhabitant of Egypt and the 

 Libyan desert, is also found in the desert country of Southern Judaea. I 

 have known my horse rear and shake with terror on descrying this little 

 but deadly Serpent, coiled up in the depression of a camel's footmark, on 

 the path before us. 



The Persian species has been discriminated as C. pcrsicus. The 

 Cerastes is not known further east. 



33. Echis arenicola. Bole, his, 1827, p. 558. 



This poisonous little Serpent I have frequently found on the dry 

 sands both north and west of the Dead Sea, but not in the upper 

 country. 



It is an African species, well known in Egypt, and differs very 

 slightly from the Indian Ecliis cariuata, which occurs as far west as 

 Persia. 



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