﻿DANGEROUS 
  REPTILES 
  — 
  COCHRAN 
  297 
  

  

  The 
  carpet 
  or 
  saw-scaled 
  viper. 
  

  

  This 
  little 
  snake 
  {Echis 
  carinatus) 
  burrows 
  in 
  the 
  sand 
  to 
  hide, 
  hence 
  

   prefers 
  sandy 
  places 
  throughout 
  its 
  range 
  through 
  Syria 
  and 
  Persia 
  

   into 
  India. 
  Its 
  common 
  name, 
  "saw-scaled," 
  is 
  given 
  by 
  reason 
  of 
  the 
  

   fine, 
  sawlike 
  "teeth" 
  down 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  lateral 
  scales. 
  It 
  reaches 
  

   a 
  length 
  of 
  2 
  feet, 
  but 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  its 
  small 
  size 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  fierce 
  and 
  

   aggressive. 
  

  

  A 
  related 
  species, 
  E. 
  coloratws, 
  is 
  known 
  from 
  Arabia 
  and 
  Palestine. 
  

  

  Another 
  small 
  viper 
  of 
  a 
  different 
  genus 
  (Azemiops 
  feae) 
  grows 
  to 
  a 
  

   length 
  of 
  2 
  feet. 
  It 
  is 
  extremely 
  rare, 
  only 
  about 
  four 
  specimens 
  ever 
  

   having 
  been 
  collected 
  in 
  Upper 
  Burma 
  and 
  in 
  southern 
  China 
  (Szech- 
  

   wan 
  and 
  Kiangsi). 
  It 
  resembles 
  a 
  harmless 
  colubrine 
  snake 
  in 
  ap- 
  

   pearance, 
  being 
  blackish 
  above 
  with 
  15 
  narrow 
  transverse 
  white 
  bands. 
  

   Nothing 
  is 
  known 
  about 
  its 
  venom. 
  

  

  The 
  Pit 
  Vipers 
  

  

  Asiatic 
  members 
  of 
  this 
  family 
  (Crotalidae) 
  used 
  to 
  be 
  considered 
  as 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  Viperidae. 
  A 
  more 
  correct 
  estimate 
  of 
  their 
  dis- 
  

   tinctness 
  is 
  obtained 
  by 
  putting 
  them 
  into 
  the 
  family 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  

   New 
  World 
  rattlesnake 
  is 
  the 
  representative. 
  The 
  Old 
  World 
  cro- 
  

   talids, 
  however, 
  do 
  not 
  have 
  any 
  rattle. 
  The 
  following 
  belongs 
  to 
  the 
  

   same 
  genus 
  as 
  do 
  the 
  copperhead 
  and 
  moccasin 
  described 
  under 
  North 
  

   American 
  poisonous 
  snakes. 
  

  

  The 
  mamushi 
  and 
  its 
  relatives. 
  

  

  This 
  snake 
  (Agkistrodon 
  blomhoffii) 
  is 
  restricted 
  to 
  the 
  Japanese 
  

   islands, 
  although 
  close 
  allies 
  are 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  Asiatic 
  mainland. 
  Aver- 
  

   age 
  specimens 
  are 
  about 
  20 
  inches 
  long. 
  The 
  pattern 
  consists 
  of 
  a 
  

   series 
  of 
  dark 
  brown 
  rhomboid 
  blotches 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  near 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  

   the 
  back, 
  separated 
  by 
  a 
  pale 
  grayish 
  band 
  which 
  lightens 
  nearly 
  to 
  

   white 
  next 
  to 
  the 
  dark 
  blotches. 
  Some 
  specimens 
  are 
  much 
  darker. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  poisonous 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  is 
  \A. 
  rhodostoina, 
  

   found 
  in 
  Malaya. 
  Its 
  pattern 
  is 
  very 
  striking 
  — 
  angular, 
  dark 
  brown, 
  

   black-edged 
  markings 
  on 
  a 
  reddish-brown 
  background. 
  The 
  snout 
  

   is 
  pointed, 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  posterior 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  head 
  is 
  widened, 
  the 
  ser- 
  

   pent 
  has 
  a 
  very 
  sinister 
  "lance 
  head." 
  

  

  Some 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  species 
  are 
  very 
  abundant. 
  Agkistrodon 
  haJys 
  

   and 
  its 
  relatives 
  are 
  the 
  commonest 
  poisonous 
  snakes 
  in 
  China 
  and 
  the 
  

   Himalayan 
  region 
  west 
  almost 
  to 
  southeastern 
  Europe. 
  

  

  Bamboo 
  snakes 
  and 
  their 
  allies. 
  

  

  Some 
  of 
  the 
  Asiatic 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  Trh?ieresurus 
  closely 
  

   correspond 
  to 
  the 
  palm 
  vipers 
  of 
  tropical 
  America. 
  They 
  are 
  the 
  

   arboreal 
  species 
  with 
  prehensile 
  tails 
  and 
  green 
  coloration, 
  such 
  as 
  

   Trimeresurus 
  gramineus, 
  the 
  bamboo 
  viper, 
  and 
  its 
  relatives. 
  Some 
  

  

  