52 



THE POISONOUS SNAKICS OF INDIA 



-Z?^ 



LACHESIS FURFUREOliIACVLA.TU'S -Gray's Viper.^ 

 rdentlficatiun. — The nnsiil sbialJ more or loss united with the 1st 



labiiil, and the scales in 

 ■^^'^ ^ ' the posterior part of 



the body numhering 19, 

 when taken together will 

 distinguish this from all 

 the rest of the group. 



Supple inentaru char- 

 acter's. — Internasals. 



A pair in contact with 

 one another, or more 

 usually separated by one 

 small scale. Supraocu- 

 lar. — A single shield. 

 Aa^al. — Partially o r 

 Fig. 31.— Lachesi3 purpureomaciilatus(nat. size) completely united with 



the 1st labial ; one or more minute scales intercalated between it and the 

 2nd labial. SuIm cidar, — Not in contact with 3rd labial. 2nd labial with 

 a furrow in its upper part directed into the ]ore;d pit. -Sca/^s— Anterior, 

 23 to z5 ; mid'iody usually '^5 (larely 23 or 27} ; posterior, 19. 



Dislrfbnti(tn.~Henga\, the Himalayas from probably the Sutlej 

 in the West, Assam, and Burmah, Andamans, and Nicobars. In 

 India it is not mat with in the ])]ains, but in Burmah occurs in 

 hills and plains alike. Has been and is frequently confused with L. 

 gramiaeiis. 



Poison. — Stoliczka's observations with regard to the opinion of the 

 natives in the Andamans and Nicobars show that it is not regarded as 

 fatal to man. 



Dimensions. — Grows to 4 feet. 



Colour. — Three varieties are met with : (A) uniform foliage 

 green ; (B) uniform purplish-brown, or purplish-black ; (C) variegated, 

 purplish-brown and green. Usi al y a well-defined white or yellow 

 flank lino. Beneath uniform greenish or whitish with sometimes 

 obscure mottling. 



* As it is convenient to give English names to sn.ikes, and Gray was the first to describe 

 thii viper, [ ta<e tho liberty of calling it by his mme. It is mee'.,too, that the work of oar 

 great harpatolo^i-Ls should be thus raemorialised. 



