THE PRINCIPAL SPECIES OF POISONOUS SNAKES 23 
projecting supraciliaries, short snout, large eyes, with round pupils, 
two poison-fangs at the back of the upper maxillaries, and a 
cylindrical body. The scales of the back are finely grooved, and 
in the adult slightly concave. 
The coloration, olivaceous- 
brown, or deep red on the 
back, becomes on the ventral 
surface pale yellow with brown 
streaks, and from five to seven 
longitudinal series of small 
spots, which are blackish and 
edged with yellow on the sides. 
The mean total length is 
1,800 millimetres. The tail is 
somewhat tapering, and about 
350 millimetres long. 
The only European species 
is Cœlopeltis monspessulana, 
which is met with pretty com- 
monly in France, in the 
neighbourhood of Montpellier, 
and Nice, near Valencia in 
Spain, and in Dalmatia. It 
is hkewise found throughout 
North Africa, and in Asia 
Minor. 
A second species, Celopeltis 
motlensis,- occurs in Southern 
Tunis, Egypt, and Arabia. 
The European VIPERINA 
Fig. 20.— MaAxILLARY, MANDIBLE, AND 
HAD oF Celopeltis monspessulana. 
belong exclusively to the Genus VIPERA, the principal zoological 
characters of which are as follows :— 
Head distinct from the neck, covered with small scales, with or 
without frontal and parietal shields; eyes small, with vertically 
