32 



THE POISONOUS SNAKES OF INDIA. 



Infralahials. — The 4th and 5th are the largest of the series, and about 



Fi(i. 17 — A. Scales on back of LycOdon aulicns. 

 B. „ „ Naia tripndians. 



subeqiial. Scales, — 2 heads length behind the head 19-27 ; midbody 

 19 to 27 ; 2 heads length in front of the vent 15 usually (rarely 13 or 

 17). J wa^ entire. /SuScaMtia/s divided throughout. 



Disirilndion. — It occurs in one or other of its many colour varieties 

 throughout the whole of our Indian possessions from Burmah in the east 

 to Sind in the west and from the Himalayas to Ceylon and is always a 

 fairly common snake. It is an inhabitant of the plains, but it has lieen 

 recorded at altitudes up to 6,000 feet. 



Poison. — Undoubtedly fatal to man, but by no means every case of 

 cobra bite necessarily will prove fatal ; on the contrary a percentage, 

 hard to determine, escapes with moderate or very severe symptoms, the 

 dose injected being less than the lethal. Fayrer records many fatal cases. 

 In 8 of these cases stated to be due without doubt to the bite of a cobra, in 

 all of which no treatment was tried, the victims died in from -i to 3 hours. 



Dimensions. — Grows to 6 feet 5^ inches, but 6 feet is a very excep- 

 tional length. 



Colour. — Very variable. It may be any shade, from buff or wheat 

 colour to olivaceous, brown, or tarry black and even foliage green 



