﻿COLUBRID.E 151 



verse bone ; no coronoid bone. Teeth in both jaws. 

 No vestiges of pelvic arch. 



An enormous group, comprising the great majority 

 of snakes. Divided into three parallel series : 



A. Aglypha, with all the teeth solid. 



B. Opisthoglypha, with one or more of the pos- 

 terior maxillary teeth grooved. 



C. Proteroglypha, with the anterior maxillary teeth 

 grooved or canaliculated. 



The third, which is not represented in Europe, 

 includes some of the most deadly snakes, such as the 

 Cobras, Kraits, Death-adders, etc. 



The European genera are thus distributed in the 

 two other series : 



Aglypha (CoLUBRiNiE) : Tropidonohis, Zamenis, 

 Coluber, Coronella, Contia. 



Opisthoglypha (Dipsadomorphin^) : Co^lopeltis, 

 M acroprotodon, Tarbophis. 



These genera give but a feeble idea of the 

 variety of forms included in this family, which 

 comprises adaptations to every mode of life for which 

 snakes are fitted. 



The distribution of the family coincides with that 

 of the order, extending over the whole world with 

 the exception of the Arctic and Antarctic regions, 

 and Ireland and New Zealand, as well as most of 

 the smaller islands of the Pacific Ocean. 



