70 VENOMS 
transverse or oblique, chevron-shaped black bands; an oblique 
black band extends behind the eye. The belly is dirty yellow, 
uniform, or marked with small black spots. 
Total length, 1,350 milimetres, sometimes more; tail 160. 
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Fic. 36.—SKuLzz of Bitis arietans (the Puff Adder). 
(After G. A. Boulenger, op. cit.) 
Habitat: This snake is met with throughout Africa, from 
Southern Morocco, Kordofan, and Somaliland, to the Cape of Good 
Hope, and also in Southern Arabia. It is especially common near 
the Niger and on the Congo. 
When irritated, it puffs itself out to such an extent that its 
