THE POISONOUS SNAKES OF INDIA. 



47 



Poison. — Nothing known. 



Dimensions. — About a foot or a little over. 



Cohur. — Brown of varying shades and mottlings. A series of 

 ovate dark costal spots are always more or less in evidence. Very 

 like hypnale in general appearance. 



LAOHSSIS MAOnOLEPIS-Tlie Large-scaled Viper. 



Identification.-^ One very distinctive feature makes the recoonition 



ofthissnakea very simple 

 matter. The scales of the 

 lust row along the body are 

 smaller than any of the 

 other rows. In all other 

 British Indian snakes the 

 scales in this row are sub- 

 eijual to, or much larger 

 than, those lying above. 



Distribution. — Confined 

 to the Pulney, Shevaroy, 

 and Anamallay Hills of 

 Southern India, where it 

 Fig, 27.~Lachesis macrolepis fnr.t. size). is plentiful at altitudes 



varying from 2,000 to 7,000 feet. 



Poison — Jerdon* knew several cases of bite from this species, but 

 none proved fatal. The Rev. F. Castels has informed me that he once 

 caused a tresh adult to bite a jackal, but the jackal did not seem to 

 mindj and suffered no ill-efi"ects. 



Dimensions. — Grows to 2 feet. 



Colour. — Uniform bright foliage-green above, lighter beneath. A 

 well-defined white or yellow line runs down the flariKs. ^m.etimesa 

 blackish supercilium, blackish marks along the i] ire, t.rd bliickish rings 

 round the tail, but these rapidly fade in spirit. Rarely specimens are 

 met with uniform olive-brown in colour. 



.^kz- 



* .Journal Asiatic Soc. fieneal. \ ol. XXII., p. 524. 



