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  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1943 
  

  

  each 
  side, 
  on 
  a 
  pale 
  cream 
  ground 
  color. 
  It 
  grows 
  to 
  5 
  feet 
  in 
  length, 
  

   with 
  a 
  thick, 
  heavy 
  body. 
  It 
  occurs 
  in 
  southern 
  Brazil, 
  Paraguay, 
  

   Uruguay, 
  and 
  the 
  Argentine. 
  

  

  The 
  value 
  of 
  using 
  scientific 
  rather 
  than 
  common 
  names 
  for 
  species 
  

   is 
  well 
  illustrated 
  by 
  my 
  attempt 
  to 
  give 
  the 
  Indian 
  names 
  for 
  some 
  of 
  

   the 
  foregoing 
  snakes. 
  The 
  word 
  jararaca 
  is 
  used 
  for 
  several 
  different 
  

   kinds 
  of 
  pit 
  vipers. 
  The 
  same 
  is 
  true 
  of 
  urutu. 
  Likewise 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  

   seen 
  that 
  the 
  name 
  copperhead 
  is 
  used 
  for 
  an 
  Australian 
  snake 
  of 
  a 
  

   different 
  family 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  copperhead 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  

   States. 
  

  

  The 
  Rear-fanged 
  Snakes 
  

  

  Some 
  of 
  the 
  opisthoglyph 
  (=back-fanged) 
  snakes 
  (Oxybelis, 
  Pseudo- 
  

   boa) 
  have 
  taken 
  to 
  an 
  arboreal 
  existence. 
  These 
  are 
  less 
  dan- 
  

   gerous 
  to 
  man 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  small 
  amount 
  of 
  poison, 
  its 
  relative 
  

   mildness, 
  and 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  teeth 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  rear 
  of 
  the 
  mouth 
  

   do 
  not 
  always 
  make 
  good 
  contact 
  with 
  a 
  victim's 
  flesh. 
  Most 
  of 
  

   these 
  snakes 
  are 
  slender 
  and 
  whiplike 
  in 
  body, 
  with 
  elongate 
  heads 
  

   and 
  large 
  eyes. 
  Some 
  are 
  green, 
  others 
  grayish 
  or 
  brown 
  in 
  color. 
  

   The 
  green 
  whip 
  snake, 
  Oxybelis 
  fulgidus, 
  is 
  light 
  green 
  with 
  a 
  lemon- 
  

   yellow 
  stripe 
  on 
  the 
  sides. 
  When 
  frightened, 
  it 
  stiffens 
  its 
  neck 
  and 
  

   slowly 
  waves 
  its 
  head 
  from 
  side 
  to 
  side 
  to 
  imitate 
  a 
  stem 
  blown 
  by 
  

   a 
  breeze. 
  Its 
  food 
  consists 
  of 
  lizards, 
  which 
  are 
  very 
  susceptible 
  to 
  

   its 
  poison. 
  

  

  The 
  mussurana 
  (CUlia 
  clelia, 
  pi. 
  6, 
  fig. 
  2) 
  is 
  a 
  large, 
  heavy-bodied, 
  

   terrestrial 
  serpent 
  which 
  uses 
  its 
  constricting 
  powers 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  its 
  

   poison 
  to 
  subdue 
  its 
  prey. 
  Its 
  chief 
  food 
  consists 
  of 
  other 
  snakes, 
  

   among 
  them 
  being 
  the 
  deadly 
  fer-de-lance 
  — 
  not 
  deadly 
  at 
  all 
  

   to 
  the 
  mussurana, 
  which 
  is 
  unaffected 
  by 
  the 
  poison 
  or 
  the 
  injuries 
  

   of 
  the 
  fangs. 
  Unfortunately, 
  the 
  mussurana 
  is 
  rather 
  rare 
  through- 
  

   out 
  its 
  rather 
  wide 
  range 
  — 
  Guatemala 
  through 
  Brazil. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  

   natives 
  know 
  of 
  its 
  snake-eating 
  habits, 
  and 
  so 
  it 
  is 
  seldom 
  killed. 
  

   Brazilian 
  specimens 
  are 
  blue-black 
  all 
  over, 
  while 
  Central 
  American 
  

   ones 
  are 
  white 
  beneath. 
  Young 
  ones 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  coral 
  red. 
  

  

  The) 
  Yellow-bellied 
  Sea 
  Snake 
  

  

  Only 
  one 
  species 
  of 
  sea 
  snake 
  (Pelamydrus 
  platurus, 
  fig. 
  2) 
  has 
  

   crossed 
  the 
  Pacific 
  Ocean 
  from 
  its 
  native 
  home 
  off 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Asia. 
  

   This 
  snake 
  is 
  compressed, 
  with 
  very 
  small 
  scales 
  and 
  no 
  enlarged 
  

   plates 
  across 
  the 
  ventral 
  region. 
  Its 
  back 
  and 
  upper 
  sides 
  are 
  rich 
  

   brown 
  to 
  black, 
  sharply 
  set 
  off 
  from 
  the 
  bright 
  yellow 
  ventral 
  colora- 
  

   tion. 
  Its 
  tail 
  is 
  compressed 
  and 
  rounded 
  at 
  the 
  tip 
  like 
  a 
  paddle 
  and 
  

   acts 
  as 
  a 
  rudder. 
  While 
  this 
  species 
  seldom 
  exceeds 
  3 
  feet 
  in 
  length, 
  

   some 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  species 
  (to 
  be 
  discussed 
  in 
  the 
  section 
  on 
  Asia) 
  

   are 
  more 
  than 
  twice 
  as 
  long. 
  Fatalities 
  from 
  its 
  bite 
  have 
  been 
  re- 
  

  

  