A POPULAR TREATISE ON INDIAN SNAKES. 867 



Sometimes, but by no means always, this snake, when irritated, erects 

 itself, and while dilating its body, very markedly flattens its forepart 

 in cobra fashion. It is strong and active, and its movements brisk and 

 rapid on land and in water. This is one of the snakes that I have seen 

 actually jump clean off the ground. Apropos of this remarkable feat, I 

 interrogated a Bangalore sa/npwallah with a view to ascertaining the 

 identity of a snake made mention of in a Canarese Dictionary as 

 " Haramandalatha havu ' ' or jumping snake, which I thought might prove 

 to be the hamadryad. To my surprise and satisfaction, however, the 

 next day he reproduced a " piscator " which he assured me was the 

 jumping snake, and he was most assiduous in provoking the snake 

 to exhibit its saltatory powers for my benefit, but though I have seen 

 this snake jump and actually clear the ground, I cannot say that I did 

 so on this occasion. However, it erected itself in an amazing manner, 

 and, literally, threw itself forward in a manner that could only be 

 described as a series of jumps. 



Food. — Its main diet is batrachian, usually frogs being ingested, 

 doubtless because they are so plentiful and so easy of capture. Fish, 

 however, are frequently taken. {See Addenda.) I have found as many 

 as 8 or 9 tadpoles in the stomach of a young specimen. They seem to feed 

 voraciously, and in Cannanore on several occasions one was brought 

 to me wriggling at the end of a tish hook which had been baited with 

 a frog by native urchins. 1 have never seen one attempt to constrict 

 its victim, nor does it wait till they are dead ; but if advantageously 

 seized, it commences to swallow at once, so that the frog, when this 

 happens to be the unfortunate, continues to squeal piteouslyfor some 

 time after engulfment." 



Description. — Rostral. — Touches 6 shields, making 6 sutures, of 

 which those formed by the anterior nasals are twice or nearly twice the 

 length of those made by the internasals. Internasals. (See Addenda.) — 

 A pair. The suture between them equal to or nearly equal to that 

 between the prefrontal fellows ; subequal to the internaso-prse- 

 frontal suture. Prefrontals. {See Addenda.) — A pair. The suture 

 between them rather larger than the praefronto-frontal. In contact 

 with internasals, postnasal, loreal, preeocular, supraocular, and 

 frontal. Frontal. — Touches 6 shields, of which the supraoculars 

 make sutures fully twice those formed with the parietals ; breadth 

 subequal to the supraoculars ; length rather more than supra- 



