POISONOUS SNAKES. 11 



Xenurelaps bungaroides, founded on a single specimen received 

 from the Khasya hills (north of Sylhet) ; and the Megcerophis 

 Jiaviceps, which inhabits the Indo-Chinese and the Malayan 

 countries, but not India. The latter attains to more than six feet 

 in length, and when alive or fresh the head and neck are vivid 

 blood-red, which soon fades to a pale bull' hue in specimens im- 

 mersed in spirit, and hence the faulty name qI Jiaviceps. As 

 many as seven genera — Glyphodon, with two ascertained species; 

 Diemansia, with four ; Hoplocephalus, with eight ; Pseudechis, with 

 one ; Pseudo-naja, with one ; Brachjsoma, with three ; and Ver- 

 micalla, with one — are peculiar to Australia with Tasmania, making 

 twenty known s]:>ecies of Colubriform Venomous Snakes in that 

 range of territory, where others doubtless remain to be discovered ; 

 and there is one described as Pseudo-elaps superciliaris, which is 

 suspected to be a second species of Pseudo-naja. The Cyrto/jhis 

 scutatus of South Africa is a sort of hoodless Cobra, without any 

 small teeth behind its fanj^s. In America there is onlv the o-enus 

 Elaps, with numerous species, which are mostly of small size, and 

 in some instances are very brightly coloured, as one of the Coral 

 Snakes* of Brazil {E. corallinus), which is beautiful coral-red, 

 with the body encircled by equidistant black rings. The genus 

 Klaps in America is represented in Africa by Tlomoi^elaps, in the 

 Indian region by Callophis, and in Australia by Vermicalla. In 

 general, these are small and slender Snakes, too much so to be 

 held in much dread. What Dr. Giinther remarks of the species 

 of Callophis will apply, as we believe, equally to the others : — 

 " They appear to prefer hilly countries to the plains, live con- 

 stantly on the ground, and are slow in their movements. In their 

 habits, in their form, and in their powei4ess muscular organization, 

 they show the greatest similarity to the Calamarice ; and this is 

 why the Callophides feed almost entirely on the latter, the venomous 

 Snake being able to overpower the non-venemous. Both of these 

 genera have also the same geograjihical distribution ; and Ceylon, 

 where we do not find the Calamarice, is not inhabited by a single 

 Callophis. If we are allowed to judge from the number of indi- 

 viduals of both genera brought to Europe in collections, the 

 Calamarice are about twice as numerous as the Callophides." 



* This n.ame being also applied to the Larmless Tortrix set/tale '^vide p. 46.) 



