322 REPTILES OF THE WORLD 



specimen. An adult is about two feet long, dull gray, 

 with a chain of dark rhombs on the back. The species 

 is vicious and more dangerous than the common viper. 

 It lives in dry, sandy places. The author's specimens 

 lived for several years, feeding upon mice and small rats. 

 Their cage was provided with fine, dry sand and in this 

 medium they burrowed at times. The first rays of the 

 morning sun brought them forth to flatten and bask; 

 as the beam of sun coming through the window changed 

 its position during the day, they gradually shifted with 

 it, finally coiling tightly against the side of the cage — 

 in a compact mass — to enjoy the last afternoon rays. 

 After a year in captivity they became very tame, gliding 

 to the cage door and gently taking a dead mouse from 

 one's fingers — though it must be acknowledged the 

 author always considered it best to hold the offering 

 by the extreme tip of the tail. After a snake inspected 

 a mouse for a few seconds, lightly probing it with the 

 tongue-tips, it took the morsel by the snout ; if the mouse 

 was shaken, the reptile bit hard, imbedding the fangs, 

 then dragging the animal backward some distance, lay 

 motionless, as if awaiting its death; after several min- 

 utes' deliberation the meal was swallowed. 



One of the commonest and most deadly snakes of 

 India is a species of Vipera. This is the Tic Polonga, 

 the Daboia, or Russell's Viper, V. russellii, a beauti- 

 fully-colored reptile reaching a length of five feet. The 

 body is pale brown with three longitudinal series of 

 black rings enclosing spots of chocolate brown and each 

 intensified on its outer border by a tinge of white or 

 yellow. The series of rings on the back are somewhat 

 the larger ; some of them fuse together, forming chain- 

 like markings. The last blotch on the back runs into a 

 longitudinal band on the tail. There is a dark band 



