JOURNAL 



OF THE 



BOMBAY 



IJatttral fSistarji Sbazittg. 



Vol. XVIII. BOMBAY. No. 3. 



A POPULAR TREATISE ON THE COMMON INDIAN 



SNAKES. 



Illusteated by Coloured Plates and Diagrams. 



by 

 Major F. Wall, I.M.S., C.M.Z.S. 



Part VII with Plate VII, with 3 Maps and 2 Diagrams. 

 (Continued from page 243 of this Volume.) 

 The Saw-scaled Viper or Echis (Echis carinata). 



Nomenclature. — (a) Scientific. — The generic name is from the Greek 

 ikis an adder, and was introduced by Merrern in 1820. Carinata is 

 from the Latin carina a keel, and was applied originally by 

 Schneider in 1801 on account of the ridged (keeled) condition of the 

 scales. 



(b) English. — One rarely hears an English name. It is usually 

 spoken of as " the Echis". In many parts, however, the English 

 population have adopted the local native name for it as " phoorsa", 

 " afai ", etc. It might be appropriately called the " common saw- 

 scaled viper " in reference to the serrate condition of the keels on 

 the oblique scales referred to hereafter, which when rubbed across 

 one another produce a hissing sound. 



(c) Vernacular. — In Southern India it is called " viriyan pamboo " 

 by the Tamils, but I have also heard it called " soorootai pamboo " 

 which I understand means " coiling snake ", and about Trichinopolv 

 " ratta pamboo ". Russell * gives the local name for a specimen he 

 acquired from Ami near Vellore as " horatta pam ". Perhaps the 



* Ind. Serp., 1796, Plate II., p. 2. 



