THE POISONOUS SNAKES OF INDIA. 25 



Poison. — Nothing known. 



Dimensions. — The largest record was 4 feet llf inches. 



Colour. — Mercurial-black with equidistant white bars formed o1 

 roundish white spots. Those are not arranged in pairs in the 

 manner so characteristic of ccaruleus, and sindamis. The tail is mottled 

 beneath towards its tip again unlike cceruleus and sindamis. 



GROUP 3.— COBRAS AND CORAL SNAKES.=^ 



Identification. — (l) Tail round. (2) Tlw 3rd supralahial shield 

 touches the nasal, and the eye {see fig^ 12).t 



z.z: 



Fkj. 12.— Naia tripiulians ( X l.U. 



* The iia,me coral snake is applied to a South American poisonous species, Elaps coralliitui. 

 I use the title here for those snakes which are allied to the above and to which I think thi 

 term singularly appropriate, since most of them have bellies adorned with a most beaiitifal 

 colouring resembling pink coral. This, however, disappears after a day or two's immersion in 

 spirit. 



*• I am only aware of one harmless snake in which the 3rd snpralabial touches the naaal 

 shield, viz., Xenopeltis unicolor, and in this case it fails to touch the eye. (See fig. 13.) 



