ON THE COMMON INDIAN SNAKES. 729 



They appear to me to be commonest in the precincts of man, and to 

 actually domicile themselves in human habitations for choice. Thus 

 the krait may usually be reckoned as one of the commonest snakes to 

 be found about cantonments and even in the bazaars, and its numerical, 

 strength is probably little dreamt of by even the most nervous residents. 

 In Fyzabad for instance I obtained 47 specimens in June, July, and 

 August 1906, all caught or killed in cantonments. Judging from the 

 weekly bags brought in by the snake-catcher Kalian at Delhi it was 

 probably as common in that station. A very large number of my 

 specimens were encountered inside bungalows, outhouses, bazaars and 

 about jails. As a rule they have been found on the ground, or floors, 

 far less commonly in the roofs, or situations necessitating clam- 

 bering efforts. It appears to be decidedly nocturnal in habit, most of 

 my specimens have been killed at night. Mr. Millard mentions in a 

 letter to me that in captivity it likes to get away from the light, and 

 Colonel Dawson informs me that " in captivity they never move as a 

 rule during the day time but become very active about dusk." 



Poison. — Authentic records of krait bite are rare although the 

 species is so abundant in man's immediate environment. This is 

 partly due no doubt to the inoffensive nature of the snake already 

 remarked upon, but must also be largely attributed to the incom- 

 petency of many medical men to recognise it. There can be no 

 doubt, from what is known of the virulence of krait venom, that a 

 fatal issue usually attends the bite of this snake. 



Fayrer* quotes the remarkable homicidal case originally reported 

 by Chevers where four credulous men allowed themselves to be bitten 

 by a krait about three feet long under the assurance that no evil 

 effects would follow. They were bitten one after another at night, 

 the sampwallahs goading the snake to fulfil their purpose by 

 administering blows with a cane. The first man bitten died before 

 dawn, having complained of thirst and foamed at the mouth. The 

 second and third died about noon the next day, and the fourth 

 recovered after suffering from giddiness, perspiration, pain in the 

 stomach and unconsciousness. Fayrerf reports another case where a 

 chowkidar died six hours after having been bitten in the forefinger. 

 He suffered burning pain locally, later in the head, and then in the 



* Loc. cic, p. 51. j- p. 54. 



