49 



krait these scales are distinctly enlarged (Fig. 7.) If they are 

 the same size as the other scales the specimen cannot be a 

 krait. Still some other snakes (harmless ) have the vertebral 

 scales enlarged, so we cannot rely on this point alone. 



But the colour of a krait is very distinctive. It is a 

 glistening black snake with white (or in Burma yellow) cross- 

 bars. 



In all kraits, too, except some rare varieties, the sub- 

 caudals are entire. Lastly, to make quite certain, examine 

 the scales on the lower lip. A krait has only four infra- 

 labial shields and the fourth is the largest. (Fig. 10.) 



If the specimen, already placed in Group III, is neither 

 a cobra nor a krait, it is almost certainly a harmless snake. 



So far all that has been said in this chapter can, I 

 think, easily be rememhered. It will be necessary to make 

 quite sure that we can spot a krait and then we can with 

 confidence say whether the snake is harmless or poisonous. 



To recapitulate : place the snake in one of the four 

 groups. If it falls into Groups I or II it is harmless ; if into 

 Group IV it is poisonous ; if into Group III it is harmless, 

 unless it is a cobra or a krait. 



To be absolutely certain that a given snake is harmless a 

 little more must be remembered. It is possible, of course, 

 that we are dealing not with a krait or cobra and not with 

 a harmless snake but one of the rare poisonous snakes. 

 We have settled that our specimen is not a viper (Group IV) 

 and not a krait or a cobra. If it is not a harmless snake, 

 what could it possibly be ? Well, it might be a king cobra 

 or a coral snake, or it might be one of the three pit-vipers 

 which have shielded heads. There are no other poisonous 

 snakes in India or Burma known so if we can manage to 

 remember how to spot these as well as the cobra and krait we 

 can make absolutely certain as to the harmlessness or other- 

 wise of the given specimen. A ^'^f^rence to the description 



