TRIGONOCEPHALUS PISCIVORUS. 35 
over the nostril, tinging the outer margin of the superior orbital plate; below this 
is a black vitta, beginning at the pit in front of the eye, and continuing backwards 
to beyond the angle of the mouth, involving the lower half of the pupil and iris. 
The labial plates of the upper jaw are dirty white. The neck, body and tail of 
the animal is dark brown, lightened towards the sides to a dingy greenish-yellow, 
where it is banded dark brown. The abdomen is leadish-grey, approaching to 
black towards the tail. 
Dimenstons. Length of head, 14} inches; breadth of head, 1 inch; length of 
body, 19 inches; length of tail, 33 inches; circumference of neck, 2 inches; circum- 
ference of body, 5 inches. In the specimen described there were 130 abdominal 
plates, and 29 plates under the tail, the first bifid; these were succeeded by 4 bifid 
plates, or scales; and there were again two entire plates, succeeded by 8 scales, 
or bifid plates. 
Hasirs. The Trigonocephalus piscivorus is found about damp, swampy places, 
or in water—far from which it is never observed. In summer, numbers of these 
serpents are seen resting on the low branches of such trees as overhang the 
water, into which they plunge on the slightest alarm. Catesby thinks they select 
these places to watch for their prey; they merely choose them in order to bask in 
the sun; for in those situations deprived of trees, as the ditches of rice fields, their 
basking places are often on dry banks. They are the terror of the negroes that 
labour about rice plantations, where they are more dreaded than the Rattlesnake, 
which only bites when irritated, or in self-defence, or to secure its prey; the 
Water Moccasin, on the contrary, attacks every thing that comes within his 
reach, erecting his head and opening his mouth for some seconds before he bites. 
Ihave placed in a cage with the Water Moccasin several of the harmless 
snakes, as the Coluber guttatus, Coluber getulus, &c., at a time; they all evinced 
the greatest distress, hanging to the sides of the cage, and endeavouring by every 
means to escape from their enemy, who attacked them all in turn. ‘Two animals 
of his own species were then thrown into the cage; he seemed instantly aware of 
