242 THE VIVARIUM. 
its own size, and not by accident (which might be caused by two 
snakes taking the same prey), but by design, if such a term may 
be used. The Snakes of this genus possess five or six enlarged 
anterior maxillary teeth slightly separated from the rest, hence 
the generic name, which means “ ox-toothed.” 
The following is a brief description of the Infernal Snake. The 
eye, which possesses a vertical elliptical pupil, is small; the 
rostral shield is twice as broad as deep; the upper labials are 
eight in number, of which the third, fourth, and fifth touch the 
eye; the loreal is elongated, and the parietal shields are longer 
than the vertical, which is five-sided and pointed. The scales 
are in twenty-three or twenty-five rows, and are smooth and 
pitted; the ventral scales, which are rounded, number from 175 
to 195, the sub-caudals from 48 to 70, and the anal is entire. The 
colour above is either a uniform dark green or black; the under 
parts are yellowish. The entire length is about 27in., of which 
the tail measures 5in. Occasionally this Snake may be bought 
for about 10s. 
The Lineated Boodon (Boodon lineatus) is very like, except in 
colouring, its near relative just described. The scales, however, 
are placed in from twenty-five to thirty-one rows, and the ventrals 
number from 192 to 237. The colour above is either a uniform 
dark brown or the brown is marked by a yellow streak running 
along each side; the sides of the head are of a light colour, 
causing, as it were, the darker colour of the upper part of the 
body to end in a point at the rostral; the under-parts are 
yellowish. This snake is slightly longer when full grown than 
the one last mentioned. The treatment in confinement of the 
two reptiles should be the same. oodon lineatus is a native of 
the tropical and southern parts of Africa. 
As the Aulic Lycodon (Lycodon aulicus) is one of the 
commonest Snakes of India, a short description of it should 
not be omitted here. The members of the genus Lycodon (wolf- 
toothed), which numbers about fifteen species, are remarkable for 
the character of their anterior teeth, which are much enlarged 
and fang-like, and separated from the rest by a considerable space. 
These teeth gradually increase in size until they reach that 
portion of the jaw which is toothless. The Lycodons of Southern 
