243 



A POPULAR TREATISE ON THE COMMON INDIAN 



SNAKES. 



Illustrated by Coloured Plates and Diagrams. 



by 



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



Part XX with Plate XX. 



(Continued from page 28 of this Volume.) 



Proteroglyphous colubrines or snakes with canaliciTlate fangs in 

 the front of the maxillae, are divided into two sub-families, viz., 

 Hydrophiince the sea snakes, and Elapince, the poisonous land 

 colubrines. The latter included 29 genera when Mr. Boulenger's 

 catalogue appeared in 1 896, one of which — Naia — contains the subject 

 of this paper. As classified by Mr. Boulenger the genus Naia 

 comprises ten species, seven African, one peculiar to the Philippines, 

 and two viz., tripudians and bungarus denizens of Malayasia. 



NAIA TRIPUDIANS (MERREM). 



the cobra. 

 (Part I.) 



History. — As one would expect the cobra is one of the very 

 earliest snakes to receive mention in scientific literature. Long 

 before the inauguration of scientific nomenclature it was referred to. 

 Seba in 1734 appears to have been the first to describe, and figure 

 it. Later in 1754 Linne figured it, and from him it received its 

 scientific baptism under the name Colober naja. Laurenti was 

 the next to refer to it under the name Naja lutescens in 1768, 

 and then Russell described and figured it in both his volumes 

 which appeared in 1796 and 1801. In addition this authority 

 wrote much on the effects of its poison, and reported many cases 

 of cobra bitten subjects. In the 19th century it is referred to under 

 a host of names by every hei'petologist who has written on the 

 Indian snakes. 



Nomenclature — (a) Scientific. — The generic name introduced by 

 Laurenti, was borrowed from the specific title bestowed upon it 

 hy his predecessor Linne. 



" Nag, " the Sanscrit word for snake, is most probably the origin 

 of Linne's " Naja," but why the "j" has been substituted for the 

 " g " it is difficult to understand. It is still more difficult to under- 

 stand why the word once latinised as " Naja," and accepted by 

 every herpetologist as such for over a century, should appear as a 

 i 



