I II \1\ XXIII. 



S()MK OTHER ANIMALS. 



23' 



beneficial and useful insects also, and to thai extent must l"' 

 reduced any benefit derived from them. 



Some of the smaller Snakes feed on insects and it is said that 

 young cobras will catch and eat butterflies, but snakes are of no 

 importanci t-eaters. The} have, however, some 



indirect importance, because all the larger snakes feed on other 

 animals, such a- mire. rats, birds, lizards and frogs, which may 

 themselves be insectivorous; and if their prey be useful the snakes 

 which devour them must be injurious, and 



indard the fact appears that almost all tin- smaller colubrine 

 snakes are harmful and that the useful species are the larger 

 colubrines, vipers, and the python, all of which ic^A on small 

 mammal>, and the kraits which feed on other snakes. We arrive 

 then at the seeming paradox that, on the whole, the non-poisonous 

 species not directly harmful to man are injurious indirectly and 

 that the poisonous snakes are reallj useful. A Russell's Viper in 

 the fields, apart from its potential danger to the farmer himself 

 .end to his animals, passes an extremely useful existence, living 

 wholly on rats and mice of which each individual snake must eat 

 several dozens every year, as it is rare to open one of these vipers 

 without finding tolerably recent remains of such a meal. 



itnmon Poisonous F utherti India (OriRinal.l 



1. Portion of bod) "t Krait, -I: 



J,- below the mouth are the infra-labials . 



■ 



1- in '. but I 

 carinata from above, showing sm mpare will I 



in 3 and 4. 



