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  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1943 
  

  

  species 
  of 
  Trimeresurus 
  are 
  terrestrial, 
  and 
  these 
  are 
  also 
  like 
  Bothrops 
  

   of 
  the 
  American 
  Tropics. 
  The 
  head 
  is 
  always 
  broad 
  and 
  distinct 
  from 
  

   the 
  neck, 
  while 
  the 
  body 
  is 
  not 
  very 
  stout 
  in 
  this 
  genus. 
  The 
  arboreal 
  

   species 
  are 
  particularly 
  slender. 
  The 
  fangs 
  are 
  proportionately 
  very 
  

   long, 
  and 
  the 
  bites 
  are 
  dangerous, 
  although 
  the 
  venom 
  is 
  not 
  quite 
  so 
  

   toxic 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  true 
  vipers. 
  The 
  habu 
  (Trimeresurus 
  

   flavoviridis) 
  grows 
  to 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  5 
  feet 
  in 
  the 
  Riu 
  Kiu 
  Islands, 
  and 
  its 
  

   bit© 
  is 
  considered 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  serious. 
  

  

  Cobbas 
  and 
  Kkaits 
  

  

  These 
  snakes 
  (family 
  Elapidae) 
  are 
  slender 
  in 
  build, 
  with 
  the 
  head 
  

   scarcely 
  enlarged. 
  Some 
  species 
  of 
  cobras 
  have 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  expansible 
  

   "hoods" 
  behind 
  the 
  head, 
  produced 
  by 
  moving 
  the 
  ribs 
  forward 
  inside 
  

   the 
  loose 
  skin. 
  

  

  Indian 
  or 
  spectacled 
  cobra. 
  

  

  This 
  snake 
  (Naja 
  naja, 
  pi. 
  9, 
  fig. 
  2) 
  is 
  probably 
  the 
  best 
  known 
  of 
  

   any 
  of 
  the 
  poisonous 
  snakes 
  of 
  Asia, 
  as 
  it 
  takes 
  more 
  lives 
  and 
  is 
  more 
  

   feared 
  than 
  the 
  others. 
  It 
  grows 
  to 
  be 
  about 
  6 
  feet 
  long, 
  and 
  is 
  yellow- 
  

   ish 
  or 
  dark 
  brown 
  in 
  color, 
  with 
  a 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  spectacle-shaped 
  black 
  

   and 
  white 
  marking 
  on 
  the 
  raised 
  hood. 
  Occasionally 
  the 
  hood 
  has 
  no 
  

   pattern, 
  sometimes 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  single 
  spot. 
  The 
  cobra 
  is 
  nervous 
  and 
  

   excitable, 
  spreading 
  the 
  hood 
  and 
  arching 
  the 
  neck 
  when 
  disturbed. 
  

   It 
  strikes 
  with 
  a 
  forward 
  sweep 
  of 
  its 
  raised 
  body, 
  accompanied 
  by 
  a 
  

   sharp 
  hiss. 
  This 
  striking 
  is 
  not 
  nearly 
  so 
  quick 
  as 
  the 
  darting 
  of 
  a 
  

   viper's 
  head, 
  which 
  strikes 
  laterally 
  from 
  the 
  bent 
  neck. 
  The 
  cobra 
  

   becomes 
  irritable, 
  sometimes 
  gliding 
  forward 
  to 
  attack 
  its 
  enemy, 
  but 
  

   there 
  is 
  no 
  deliberate 
  rush, 
  and 
  the 
  snake 
  can 
  be 
  held 
  off 
  with 
  a 
  light 
  

   stick. 
  When 
  it 
  bites, 
  it 
  retains 
  its 
  hold 
  just 
  as 
  the 
  coral 
  snake 
  does, 
  

   since 
  the 
  fangs 
  are 
  relatively 
  short, 
  and 
  a 
  larger 
  amount 
  of 
  poison 
  can 
  

   enter 
  the 
  wound 
  with 
  the 
  longer 
  contact. 
  The 
  cobra 
  feeds 
  on 
  rats, 
  mice, 
  

   and 
  frogs 
  by 
  choice, 
  and 
  often 
  takes 
  up 
  its 
  residence 
  in 
  the 
  dark 
  corners 
  

   of 
  a 
  native 
  hut 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  prey 
  upon 
  the 
  rodents 
  attracted 
  to 
  human 
  

   habitations. 
  This 
  snake 
  is 
  accountable 
  for 
  more 
  deaths 
  from 
  snake 
  

   bite 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  species. 
  It 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  state 
  accurately 
  just 
  

   how 
  many 
  people 
  in 
  India 
  die 
  each 
  year 
  from 
  its 
  bite. 
  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  

   natives' 
  habit 
  of 
  going 
  bare-legged, 
  especially 
  at 
  night, 
  fatal 
  accidents 
  

   from 
  cobra 
  bite 
  are 
  unnecessarily 
  numerous. 
  On 
  plantations 
  where 
  

   the 
  natives 
  are 
  made 
  to 
  take 
  precautions, 
  and 
  where 
  serum 
  is 
  available, 
  

   fatalities 
  have 
  greatly 
  decreased. 
  The 
  Indian 
  cobra 
  and 
  its 
  very 
  

   closely 
  allied 
  subspecies 
  occur 
  from 
  the 
  eastern 
  shores 
  of 
  the 
  Caspian 
  

   Sea 
  through 
  Asia 
  into 
  China 
  and 
  Formosa, 
  the 
  Malay 
  Archipelago, 
  

   and 
  the 
  Philippines. 
  

  

  Some 
  cobras 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  have 
  the 
  habit 
  of 
  spitting 
  venom 
  at 
  an 
  

   intruder. 
  One 
  from 
  Java 
  was 
  observed 
  to 
  eject 
  poison 
  in 
  a 
  spray 
  

  

  