U THE POISONOUS SNAKES OF INDIA. 



near Bombay. Mr. Henderson in a private letter says it is fairly 

 <'ommon at Kodai Kanal in the Pulneys. Father Gombert, S.J.. in a 

 private letter makes the same remark with regard to the Pulneys. 

 Stoliczka* says it is very common in the south portion of the Kulu 

 Valley. I have found it common at Trichinopoly and Cannanore, and 

 Fergusonf says it is common in the low country at Travancore. 

 Teunentl says that at Tvincomalee, Ceylon, in 1858, the Judge's house 

 was so infested with this species that his family had to quit their 

 quarters, and Bassett Smith§ also remarks on the number of this 

 species in the same place. Evans and I found it common in most })arts 

 of Burmah, and in certain parts of that Province it is so numerous 

 that the natives wear grass shoes made with '"uppers" when busy in 

 the crops as a protection against this snake, notably at Mahlaing, 

 Magwe, and Myo-thit in Ujiper Burmali. TheobaldH remarks on the 

 commonness of the species in the Tharrawaddy District in Lower 

 Burmah, and above Rangoon. On the other hand, Nicholson || shows 

 it is uncommon in the vicinity of Bangalore, where only 2 were brought 

 in for Government rewards out of 1,225 poisonous snakes in the year 

 1873. Again Murray** says it is not common in Upper Sind. 

 Blanfordtt makes the same remark of S.-E. Berar, and Mr. Miller 

 writes me it is rare about Darjeeling. He has only known one, viz., 

 at Kurseong, 4,600 feet, in many years. 

 Poison. — Indubitably fatal to man. 



Dimensions. — Grows to 5h feet, but specimens over 5 feet are very 

 exceptional. 



Colour. — Buff, or light brown with 3 longitudinal series of large 

 spots along the back. These usually consist of three zones, a central one 

 of the same colour as the ground, a narrow dark zone, skirted by a still 

 narrower white or buff zone. Some of these spots in the median series 

 often confluent. The spots in the lateral rows are often broken at their 

 lowermost outline. Head ornamented with large dark marks, and a 

 conspicuous pink or salmon V with its apex on the snout. Belly 

 whitish with dark semilunar scattered spots. 



* Jourl., Asiatic Soc. of Bengal, Vol. XXXIX., p. 226. 



T Jourl.. Bomb, Nat, Hist. Soc, Yol. X., p. 8. 



t^ Nat. Hist, of Ceylon, p. 296. 



§ Jourl., Bomb. Nat. Hist. Soc, Vol. XL, p. 546. 



H Cat. Rept., Brit. Burm.,p. 04. 



II Ind. Snakes, p. 173. 

 *• The Rept. of Sind, p. 66. 

 tt Jonrl., Asiatic Soc. of Bengal, Vol. XXXIX., p. 374. 



