POISONOUS SNAKES OF NORTH AMERICA. 351 



of even ordinary solid-toothed harmless snakes contains the same 

 specific poison which characterizes the dreaded thanatophidia. Fuller 

 account of their discoveries will be found in the concluding chapter of 

 this treatise. 



However, since the character of the saliva of the harmless snakes 

 does not seem to play any role in their economy, so far as obtaining 

 food, or defending themselves against enemies, is concerned, we are 

 still justified in regarding the opistogl^-phs as a distinctly specialized 

 group of poisonous snakes, aside from any consideration of their prob 

 ably more or less close genetic relationship. 



Allhoagh thus in the strictest sense poisonous, these comparatively 

 harmless snakes do not claim the deep interest which snakes, dangerous 

 to human life, through dread of the mysterious power excite in the pop- 

 ular mind. No attempt will be made then to treat of their structure 

 and other peculiarities, in the present connection, beyond remarking that 

 we have within the confines of the United States the representative of 

 four genera of opistoglyph snakes, which may easily be referred to 

 their respective divisions by the following characters: 



Synojysis of the Opistogh/pli Snakes occiirrhK/ in the United States. 



a' Head but sliji;litly distinct; i)U]»il round; no scale-pits. 



/>'. No loreal Tantilla. ' 



b '. Loreal present Coniophanes. t 



a- Head wide, very distinct; pupil vertical ; two scale-pits. 



b '. One loreal Lepfodeira. t 



b -. Two or more loreals Trimorphodon . ^ 



THE CORAL SNAKES. 

 Family Flapid.e. 



There has been almost as nuich doubt about the poisonous nature of 

 the Coral Snakes, Elapidce, as of those mentioned in the preceding chap- 

 ter, but as there has been enough evidence to show that the bite of 

 these pretty animals may be fatal even to man, and as they are unde- 

 niably very nearly related to the deadly cobra, || the scourge of India, 

 the verdict has decided against them long ago. 



There are numerous doubters yet, however. Letters are often received 

 from Florida asking whethei- the Coral Snake, or Harlequin Snake found 



* TantiUa, Baird and Girard, Cat. N. Am. Serp., p. 131 (1853) l=ITomalocranion, 

 DUMERli,, Prodr. Class. Ophid., p. 94 (18.53)]. Type TautiUa coronata, B. & G.— Four 

 species, ranging from South Carolina to southern California and south. 



t CoHJow/iaxes, Hallowell, Proc. Acad. Phila., 1860 (p. 484\ Type C. fissideus, 

 GfTNTH. One species from extreme southern corner of Texas. 



XLeptodeira, Fitzingek, Syst. Kept., p. 27 (1843). \_Sibon of authors, but not of Fit- 

 zinger.] Type, Dipsas annulata, Schlkg. — One species from extreme southern corrTer 

 of Texas. 



SS Trimorphodon, Cope, Proc. Acad. Phila., 1861, p. 297. Type, T. lyrophanes, Cope. — 

 One species from southern Arizona. 



II See plate 19. 



