﻿296 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1943 
  

  

  cal 
  form 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  Austria 
  and 
  the 
  Balkan 
  states. 
  It 
  likes 
  dry, 
  

   stony 
  hills 
  with 
  low 
  bushes, 
  which 
  it 
  frequently 
  climbs. 
  Its 
  poison 
  is 
  

   stated 
  to 
  be 
  more 
  active 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  other 
  European 
  vipers, 
  so 
  that 
  

   fatal 
  accidents 
  to 
  man 
  are 
  frequent. 
  It 
  is 
  extremely 
  abundant 
  in 
  some 
  

   parts 
  of 
  Austria 
  and 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  commonest 
  of 
  all 
  snakes 
  in 
  Bos- 
  

   nia 
  and 
  Herzegovina. 
  A 
  closely 
  related 
  form 
  (Vipera 
  amrnodytes 
  

   meridionalis) 
  takes 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  the 
  typical 
  form 
  in 
  Greece 
  and 
  

   European 
  Turkey. 
  

  

  The 
  blunt-nosed 
  viper 
  and 
  its 
  allies. 
  

  

  The 
  blunt-nosed 
  viper 
  (F. 
  lebetina 
  lebetina), 
  also 
  called 
  kufi, 
  is 
  

   found 
  on 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  Cyprus 
  and 
  in 
  Europe 
  on 
  Melos 
  (one 
  of 
  the 
  

   Cyclades 
  Islands), 
  and 
  has 
  an 
  extensive 
  range 
  in 
  Asia 
  and 
  Africa. 
  

   Some 
  poorly 
  defined 
  varieties 
  occur, 
  among 
  them 
  a 
  form 
  called 
  xan- 
  

   thina 
  from 
  Asia 
  Minor 
  and 
  others 
  named 
  mauritanica 
  and 
  deserti 
  from 
  

   Morocco, 
  Algeria, 
  and 
  Libya. 
  Large 
  examples 
  are 
  £y 
  2 
  or 
  5 
  feet 
  long. 
  

   They 
  live 
  in 
  rocky 
  regions 
  and 
  are 
  nocturnal 
  in 
  habit. 
  

  

  INDIA, 
  CHINA, 
  JAPAN, 
  AND 
  MALAYA 
  

  

  This 
  region 
  is 
  very 
  well 
  provided 
  with 
  poisonous 
  snakes. 
  Kepresent- 
  

   atives 
  of 
  the 
  Viperidae 
  (true 
  vipers), 
  Crotalidae 
  (pit 
  vipers), 
  Elapi- 
  

   dae 
  (cobras 
  and 
  kraits), 
  Hydrophidae 
  (sea 
  snakes) 
  and 
  Colubridae 
  

   (colubrine 
  snakes) 
  are 
  found 
  here, 
  comprising 
  examples 
  of 
  all 
  existing 
  

   families 
  containing 
  dangerous 
  poisonous 
  snakes. 
  The 
  most 
  spectac- 
  

   ular 
  are 
  the 
  cobras, 
  although 
  the 
  daboia 
  (or 
  Russell's 
  viper) 
  is 
  one 
  

   of 
  the 
  commonest 
  and 
  deadliest 
  snakes 
  of 
  India. 
  

  

  The 
  Vipers 
  

  

  Although 
  the 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  species 
  known 
  from 
  Asia 
  is 
  not 
  large, 
  

   this 
  family 
  (Viperidae) 
  represents 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  dangerous 
  of 
  all 
  

   poisonous 
  snakes. 
  

  

  The 
  daboia, 
  tic-polonga, 
  or 
  Russell's 
  viper. 
  

  

  This 
  beautiful 
  serpent 
  (V. 
  russellii, 
  pi. 
  9, 
  fig. 
  1), 
  more 
  than 
  5 
  feet 
  

   in 
  length 
  at 
  its 
  maximum, 
  is 
  pale 
  brown 
  with 
  3 
  longitudinal 
  series 
  

   of 
  yellow-bordered 
  black 
  rings 
  enclosing 
  spots 
  of 
  chocolate 
  brown. 
  A 
  

   very 
  loud 
  warning 
  hiss 
  is 
  given 
  when 
  the 
  snake 
  is 
  disturbed. 
  It 
  will 
  not 
  

   strike 
  until 
  considerably 
  irritated. 
  The 
  venom 
  is 
  secreted 
  in 
  large 
  

   quantities. 
  The 
  snake 
  is 
  found 
  nearly 
  everywhere 
  except 
  in 
  dense 
  

   jungle, 
  preferring 
  open, 
  sunny 
  regions. 
  It 
  is 
  nocturnal 
  in 
  habit 
  and 
  

   feeds 
  by 
  choice 
  upon 
  rats 
  and 
  other 
  small 
  mammals. 
  It 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  

   India, 
  Ceylon, 
  Burma, 
  Siam, 
  the 
  Malay 
  Peninsula, 
  and 
  southern 
  Yun- 
  

   nan 
  in 
  China. 
  The 
  period 
  of 
  gestation 
  is 
  more 
  than 
  6 
  months, 
  the 
  lit- 
  

   ter 
  of 
  about 
  30 
  young 
  being 
  born 
  usually 
  in 
  June 
  and 
  July 
  ; 
  they 
  are 
  

   less 
  than 
  a 
  foot 
  long. 
  

  

  