ON THE COMMON INDIAN SNAKES. 717 



The specific name ecerulevs (Latin, meaning blue) was given by 

 Schneider* in 1801 to this form. (Figure 5 of our plate.) 



(b) English. — The Krait, or common krait, is borrowed from the 

 vernacular name for this snake in certain parts of Northern India. 



(c) Vernacular. — The plethora of native names shows that the 

 snake is abundant, and well known everywhere. Some names appear 

 very local. It is probable there has been confusion between this and 

 other snakes as one must expect with natives especially. 



Nicholsont says it is called " Anali " about Madras, a word, he says, 

 implies " ringed " or " decorated " in Tamil and kindred languages, 

 and is somewhat loosely applied. 



I have known it called " kattu viriyan " about Trichinopoly, the 

 Tamil for "banded viper." Father Bertram! also writes me it is 

 known under this name in S. India, as also is Lycodon aulieus ; 

 "viriyan" too, he remarks, though meaning " viper," is applied to 

 many non-poisonous snakes. 



JerdonJ says it is the " yenna vyrien " of the Tamils : " yenna " 

 is the Tamil for " oil," and must refer to the oily polished surfaces of 

 the scales. I have also known it called " kutti pisarshi " "bad devil," 

 and " panna viriyan " or " palmyra viper " in South India. 



In Mysore Rice§ gives the Canarese name for it as "godi nagara" 

 which appears to me very doubtful from the English interpretation 

 " wheat cobra." 



In Oannanore it was called " valla pamboo " which is Malayalam 

 signifying " bangle snake." 



Colonel Dawson tells me that in Travancore it is known as "yettadi 

 veeren " (Malayalam) and "yettadi virien " (Tamil), "yettadi" 

 means "eight feet" and implies that the snake is so venomous its 

 victim dies within eight paces; " veeran " and "virien" he sug- 

 gests may be derived from the Tamil " visham" " poison." 



RussellH says the Tamils call it " karu walalay " : "karu" is the 

 Tamil for "black," and "walalay" I am told means " polished." \\ 

 Again he says the snake he figures on Plate XXI in his second 



* Hist. Ampb. II, p. 284. t llld - Snakes, pp. 133 and 131. 



% Jourl., Asia. Soc, Bengal, Vol. XXII., p. 522. 

 § Mysore, Vol. I, p. 188. 

 If Loc. cit., Vol. II., p. 36. 



|| I am indebted to Dr. J. R. Henderson of Madras for many of the translations 

 Of vernacular names in use in S. India. 



